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THURSDAY 8/6 FEDERAL False Claims:  Facebook and Twitter removed video of the President falsely claiming children are "almost immune" to the coronavirus.   Phase 4:   Our partners at Brownstein Hyatt Faber Schreck have released their predictions of what economic/tax items will be included in the next package.   White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow said he supports renewing $600 per week unemployment insurance in the “short run” and reforming it later. He says it’s “not sustainable” but “would let it down very slowly.” White House officials and Democratic leaders ended a three-hour negotiation Thursday evening without a deal or a clear path for resolving outstanding issues.  It's unclear what comes next, including if the Administration will attempt to advance some policies using executive authority.   Alabama:  “You’re going to see a tremendous loss of learning among students with disabilities, some of which I fear will not easily be made up,” said Nancy Anderson, associate director of the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program." Arizona:   A for Arizona announced 18 public K-12 school systems that will receive Expansion and Innovation Fund grants to innovate and reimagine how best to serve their students. Round One grants were funded by an initial $1 million contribution from Governor Ducey’s Emergency Education Relief (GEERs) fund through federal CARES Act funding.  List of projects is here. The Arizona Department of Health Services released an excellent guide outlining the thresholds that should trigger various school models. DC:  Research based on results from a testing site run by Children’s National Hospital showed Black children were more than four times as likely as white children to test positive for the virus, and Hispanic children were more than six times as likely as white children to test positive. Nonwhite children were also more likely to have known exposure to the virus. Georgia:  The Governor announced that he will allocate $6 million of CARES Act funding to help school districts connect students to the Internet. Louisiana:   New Orleans will launch "community learning hubs" at libraries, rec centers to help students without internet access. Minnesota:  All elementary schools may be able to reopen safely based on new county-level data. New York:   The Reimagine New York Commission, the 16-member Blue Ribbon Commission chaired by Eric Schmidt, launched a survey to identify ways of leveraging technology tools to build back a better and more resilient New York in the areas of connectivity, telehealth, and workforce.  The teachers union released a new list of requests, including that a single COVID-19 case in a school should trigger an immediate 14-day closure. New York City will dedicate a team of contact tracers to investigate coronavirus cases in schools Ohio:  The Buckeyes released a video ad encouraging masks.  #IWantASeason Pennsylvania:   The Governor is considering postponing all high school sports until January 2021.   Districts are seeking liability protection. Texas:  Flour Bluff ISD superintendent David Freeman passed away due to complications from COVID-19. Virginia:  The first state to use Apple and Google's COVID-19 contact tracing app. West Virginia:  A new Kids Connect initiative will guarantee broadband access to students using $6 million for 1,000 hot spots. INTERNATIONAL Kenya:  Education officials announced that they were canceling the academic year and making students repeat it.  ECONOMIC RECOVERY Children Facing Very High Hardship Rates:  Report from CBPP that estimates 19 million children (more than 1 in 4) live in a household that is behind on rent or mortgage payments, isn’t getting enough to eat, or both.  Assessing CARES Act Economic Impact:  New analysis from Opportunity Insights which finds that stimulus payments to low-income households increased consumer spending sharply, but had modest impacts on employment in the short run. The Paycheck Protection Program loans have also had little impact on employment at small businesses. "In sum, our analysis suggests that the primary barrier to economic activity is depressed consumer spending due to the threat of COVID-19 itself as opposed to government restrictions on economic activity, inadequate income among consumers, or a lack of liquidity for firms. Hence, the only path to full economic recovery in the long run may be to restore consumer confidence by addressing the virus itself" State EITC:  NBER paper that suggests state EITCs may increase federal EITC program participation among low-skilled single filers with children. Student Loan Debt:  Low-income households are falling behind on student loan repayments.   Mapping Unemployment:  New effort to model unemployment down to the Census tract.   RESOURCES IES Acting on Diversity:  Post from Director Mark Schneider outlining some of the steps they are taking to address racial, cultural, gender, or regional bias. Economics of Reopening:  New ERS report looking at the budget implications to safely reopen.   Parents Are At a Breaking Point:  As they try to cope with getting kids back to school, homeschooling, and the stress coming from the decision.   Learning Pods: Startup-assisted microschools ease remote schooling pain.  "Weekdays facilitates most of the administrative process needed to set up a school, which is limited to 2 to 8 kids. Families can meet and interview candidate teachers — who Weekdays pre-screens — via video conference. The platform automates enrollment, payments, messaging, licensing and contracts between parents and teachers. Teachers set the tuition rates and can compare prices with other microschools. Prices range from $90-550 a week per student.  “We really feel like we’re a great support mechanism for the public school curriculum,”  said CEO Shauna Causey. “Everyone is trying to do the best they can given the uncertain circumstances.” Marin parent groups address ‘micro-pod’ school inequities. 1,500 members.  "We are organizing how to be inclusive and keep kids from getting left behind." “The racial wealth divide is real,” says Nikolai Pizarro, a homeschooling mom who founded a Facebook group called BIPOC-led pandemic pods and microschools and an Instagram account, raising readers, devoted to “teaching Black & Latinx parents how to create high quality literacy environments.”  Alice Locatelli founded thecopod.com just a few weeks ago. Interested parties input their location and requirements—the kids’ ages, whether masks are required, how frequent they want the meetings to be, and more. Then they are matched with other families and educators. Why a Houston Facebook group 'blew up' with desperate parents looking for help.  Youth-oriented businesses band together as distance learning day camps The pandemic is fueling the private tutoring industry Good article covering pods.   "Zacharias’s daughter will stay enrolled in the Goleta Union School District, learning from their distance-learning curriculum, but she’ll be joining two other kids, forming a pod with help from a tutor, not a teacher. Zacharias said it felt odd to “poach a teacher” and that paying the wage of a tutor is more affordable — $25 an hour split between three families." The Santa Barbara Zoo has offered “Zoo School” to traditional homeschool and charter students, but in recent weeks, local interest from public-school families has gone up by about 50 percent. Teachers Are Worried:  NPR/Ipsos poll.   82% teachers say they are concerned about returning to in-person teaching this fall, and two-thirds prefer to teach primarily remotely. 55%, say they cannot properly do their job online.  84%  say online learning creates gaps in opportunities for students.  83% are also concerned about connecting with students they've never met when online classes begin this fall. Parents Are Worried:  Washington Post-Schar School survey conducted by Ipsos The Current State of K-12 Social Emotional Learning:  New research from Tyton Partners on the SEL market.   Got:  Milk? If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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View this email in your browser COVID-19 Policy Update THURSDAY 8/27    TOP THREE    FDA:  Authorized Abbott’s fast $5, 15 min COVID-19 test (FDA letter, Abbott press release)  Abbott is also launching an app that syncs up with the tests.  Those with a negative test will be able to display a “digital health pass” on their phone. They plan to ramp up to 50 million tests by October.  Could be incredibly helpful for schools.   The State of Reopening:  CRPE analysis (EdWeek).  New analysis estimates that almost half of the nation's school districts will be returning to full in-person instruction.  Students in rural communities are far more likely to have access to fully in-person instruction than suburban and city students.  Students in the highest-poverty districts are the most likely to start the year in remote learning.   Gallup Survey:  Public school enrollment dropped from 86% in 2019 to 76% in 2020 and homeschool enrollment doubled from 5% to 10%.    STATE   California:  62 Santa Clara County schools and districts have applied for waivers to bring elementary school students back into the classroom.   Maryland:  The Governor has authorized all public schools in the state to begin “safely” reopening because state metrics on the coronavirus show improvements.   New Jersey:   The Department received 745 school district reopening plans. Of those, 105 plans are still under review and 389 have been “returned to districts for necessary revisions."  List of districts requesting to open remote only. The Freehold Regional High School District shifted to opening remote only after 250 educators requested a leave of absence or other workplace accommodation requests.   North Carolina:  Guilford County Schools will operate two virtual schools:  The Guilford eLearning Virtual Academy (K-5) and Guilford eLearning University Prep (6-8).  Loved this idea:  teachers are reaching out to families to poll them on what times work best for them for live instruction.    Ohio: The Governor announced that schools must create a mechanism for parents to report cases, like using an existing attendance call-in phone line. Then, within 48 hours of learning of a case in a student or staff member, the district must contact the local health department and make the information about a positive test publicly available, which could be done through issuing a press release or posting on the district’s website.     INTERNATIONAL   Europe Reopens:  France’s prime minister promised to “do everything” to get people back to school and work. British Prime Minister Johnson called reopening schools a “moral duty,” and his government even threatened to fine parents who keep kids at home. Italy’s health minister abruptly shut down discos this month with one goal in mind — “to reopen schools in September in complete safety."   How Nations Are Going Back to School:  Useful summary from the AP covering China, Japan, Africa, and other countries.  UNICEF:  Released a global analysis of the reach of remote learning.  They estimate that 30% of students around the world (463 million) were unable to gain access to remote learning.  40% of countries did not provide remote learning opportunities at the pre-primary level of education.  Huge variances between counties.   UK:  A YouGov survey shows support for the full-time reopening of schools in England and Wales has risen from 57% to 65% over the past three weeks.   ECONOMIC RECOVERY Declining Food Spending:  New data shows Americans cutting back on grocery spending.   The expiration of expanded UI is cited by economists as one of the reasons.   Record Back-to-School Spending:   Could be as high as $100 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.   They also asked parents how their children would be returning to school:  27% in person, 35% hybrid, 28% online, and 20% unsure.   Two Black-led Banks Merge:  L.A.'s Broadway Federal Bank and Washington's City First Bank announced they will create the nation’s largest Black-controlled bank with $1 billion in assets.   RESOURCES WHO:  Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe at the WHO said that schools had not been a “main contributor” to the pandemic. IHME’s COVID-19 Forecasts:   Indicate that the US will reach nearly 310,000 deaths by December 1, 2020. If mask wearing in public increases to 95%, more than 69,000 lives could be saved.   NYT/Morning Consult Poll: Surveying parent attitudes toward reopening. All 200 pages of data and crosstabs. Regardless of whether your child( ren) will return to school in-person or virtually how concerned are you about their... Mental health:   76% concerned / 23% not concerned Academic progress:  80% concerned / 20% not concerned  The time they spend on screens, like TVs or computers:  74% concerned / 26% not concerned Access to regular meals:  40% concerned / 60% not concerned To the best of your knowledge, how will your child or children be learning during the fall 2020-2021 school year?  My child will be learning virtually with their school:   34%  My child will be learning in-person with their school 16% My child will be learning with their school through a mix of virtual and in-person learning:  21% My child will be homeschooled:   15%   (interestingly, Democratic women were more likely to say this 22% vs Republican women 13%) I am not sure if my child's school will be virtual, in-person: 9 % Have you considered... Hiring a tutor or teacher to work with your child or a small group of children if schools are closed during the next school year?  22% yes / 78% no Moving to a different district or enrolling in private school because of reopening plans or school schedules?  12% yes / 88% no NSVF/Gallup Poll: Examines parent, teacher, and student perspectives on education technology and distance learning. Learning Policy Institute:  Released two reports:  Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of COVID and Beyond   The Federal Role in Advancing Education Equity and Excellence Maine Sleepaway Camps Offer Roadmap for Reopening Schools: Four camps served 1,000 children without any transmission. Maine conducted virus testing before and after campers arrived and made them quarantine. Campers and counselors were kept in the same groups while at the camp. Face masks and physical distancing were employed, extensive cleaning and disinfection were frequent, and activities were conducted outdoors as much as possible. Study here. Disrupted Schooling Will Deepen Inequality:  Article from the Economist that ends with "Without extraordinary interventions, the long-run effect of the pandemic on these students is predictable. The only question is how deep the damage will be." Juni Learning:  Raised $10.5 million in Series A funding. They provide live online courses and tutoring in Computer Science, Mathematics, and English courses for students 8-18 Back to School:  Photos capturing how unusual back to school is this year. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address Alexandria, VA 22311

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COVID-19 Policy Update  WEDNESDAY 8/26  I recognize these updates have been getting a bit longer and more dense given the volume of activity right now.  In addition to tightening up the curation, I'm also going to add a new section at the top with the three most important items of the day.  Feedback is welcomed - let me know how to make this more useful!  --John   TOP THREE Double Dip Recession Fears:   80% of economists surveyed by NABE said they see a 1-in-4 chance of a double-dip recession.   52% say the optimal package for the next fiscal package would be at least $1.5 trillion, while 20% believe it should be $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. Seventeen percent thought a package smaller than $1 trillion would be optimal.  60% said Congress should extend the expanded UI and PPP.     Study on Physical Distancing:  New study suggesting that current rules on physical distancing may be based on outdated science (for example, the 6 ft (2m) distance originates from 1897).  The authors argue more nuance is needed so that physical distancing rules reflect the multiple factors that affect risk, including ventilation, occupancy, and exposure time.  Their chart shows how wearing masks can reduce the risk from high to moderate in high occupancy areas and even high to low in lower occupancy areas - important for school reopening plans.  Gov. Wolf:  Released guidance for pods in Pennsylvania.  The Governor also announced that "DHS is collaborating with organizations across Pennsylvania, including the United Way and YMCA, to establish part-day child care programs for school-age children. These programs are required to develop Health and Safety plans for COVID-19 mitigation and to comply with requirements under Pennsylvania’s Child Protective Services Law for all adults working with children to have background clearance checks. Soon, DHS will launch a tool on its website where families can go for information about these programs."   FEDERAL ED:  Secretary Devos expressed a softening of the Administration's position on reopening schools for in person learning saying: “I think perhaps there’s been a little bit of a misunderstanding that going back to school meant 100% of the students had to be in-person 100% of the time.  No, the expectation is that there’s 100% learning in a way that’s going to work for each family and each student, and importantly, in each community and each school.” USDA: House Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx, along with 24 Republican Members from the Education and Labor Committee and the Agriculture Committee, sent a letter to USDA Secretary Perdue urging the implementation of child nutrition program flexibilities allowed under law so schools have the flexibility they need to feed students during the coronavirus.   STATE California: The state issued guidance allowing schools to reopen for students with special needs including those with disabilities, students who are homeless and English language learners. All schools in San Diego were cleared to reopen September 1 if they choose to do so. Luis Alejo, the Monterey County Supervisor, tweeted a picture of two students trying to get Internet access outside of a Taco Bell. Colorado:  Interesting story from the Colorado Sun who surveyed some of the larger school districts to get a sense of the number of students they lost contact with in the spring and level of engagement during online learning.  60% of low-income students were regularly logging into Curriculum Associates' iReady, compared to 90% of high-income kids in places like Aurora. Edgenuity saw 71% of sixth to eighth graders using the programs, but only 17.6% of juniors and seniors.   More here. Michigan:  Cedar Rapids loses 20% of their school bus drivers due to COVID concerns. Mississippi:  Politico asked Gov. Reeves if he reopened schools too early.  His response:  "It's really public health versus public health. We know that things like child abuse, sexual abuse reports are down significantly in America over the last six months. One of the reasons they're down so much is not because it’s not occurring, it is because these kids are not in school. We think it’s a better public health decision to get the kids in schools. We’ve had 500 kids who have gotten the virus. We’ve got 450,000 kids in Mississippi, approximately, who are in our pre-kindergarten through 12th grade schools. That's a very, very, very high percentage of kids who are actually sitting in the classroom and learning. That's important." Tennessee:  Nashville schools will open remote only until Oct 5. Wisconsin:  Will not name the schools that have COVID cases, nor how large the outbreaks are. INTERNATIONAL Canada:   The Calgary Board of Education says more than 21,000 students (roughly 1 in 6) enrolled in their online learning option.  30% of students in Edmonton Public Schools have opted for online. Germany:  NYT story on schools reopening.  Doesn't really surface any new insights from past stories, except highlighting the contact tracing system in place.   ECONOMIC RECOVERY The Cost of Closing Schools:  Closing schools would cost about $700 billion in lost revenue and productivity, according to a Barron's analysis —  3.5% of GDP. Mortgage Delinquency Rates:  Single-Family serious delinquency rate in July was 3.12%, up from 2.48% in June. - highest Since Feb 2013 Business Pivots:  Best Buy is converting 25% of its stores into e-commerce hubs.  Online sales grew 242% last quarter, About 60% of which were picked up curbside or shipped to homes. Using Public Spaces to Deliver Social Services:  How an Atlanta park is connecting people to housing through place-based social services. Legacy Cities:  EIG has an analysis of "legacy cities" - areas that were former economic powerhouses (typically manufacturing) that found themselves left behind as the economy shifted to services.  22% of residents in legacy communities have at least a four-year degree compared to 30% in comparable counties.  Average median household income (MHI) for non-legacy communities was $62,100 in 2018, but only $49,800 in legacy communities, over $12,000 less.  LEARNING PODS Pod Recommendations from Epidemiologists:  Three doctors offer advice on how to safely plan and operate pods.  Minneapolis Pods:  A Minneapolis church will offer private tutoring to children whose schools have gone online. The Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization has committed to funding a remote learning program for a total of 36 students primarily attending Minneapolis Public Schools,  Callie Peterson, a former teacher, cofounded Wiz Educators, a recruiting tool that’s been helping parents connect with teachers. She said the demand for teachers is so high and so far, Wiz Educators has matched a handful of teachers with families looking for private tutors. Cities Use "Learning Hubs’:  San Francisco will have a program to serve 6,000 children who can go to recreation centers, branch libraries, and other sites across the city to take their virtual classes in small socially-distanced groups supervised by staff from nonprofits the city has partnered with. The free program is targeted at students living in public housing, homeless youth, those in foster care, English-language learners, and low-income families of color.  In New Orleans, learning hubs at rec centers and libraries are intended for children who don’t have internet access at home or who lack adult supervision during school hours. More here. RESOURCES Reconstruction: Kaya Henderson founded a new organization with a rockstar board and team.   Designed by diverse educators, for diverse students, their curriculum highlights Black people, Black culture, and Black contributions to the country and world.  They're offering online classes with instructors leading groups of six students at a time.  Higher Education Cases:  A NYT survey of colleges revealed 26,000 cases at 250 institutions. Hurricane Laura: Strengthened to a Category 4 storm which creates additional challenges for thousands of schools along the Gulf Coast.  The National Hurricane Center estimated a storm surge that could go as far as 30 miles inland.  Verizon:  Their distance learning initiative offers discounted connectivity to more than 36 million students across 38 states and the District of Columbia. It's National Dog Day:  Bentley was excited. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/25

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TUESDAY 8/25 FEDERAL ED: Issued the final regulation on higher education distance learning (fact sheet) which reflects a lengthy negotiated rulemaking process.  The reg governing distance learning in higher ed makes several changes take effect July 2021. Emphasizes demonstrated learning over seat time. Removes confusion over whether a course is eligible for Title IV aid by defining "regular and substantive" interaction between students and instructors. Clarifies and simplifies the requirements for direct assessment programs, including how to determine equivalent credit hours. Encourages employer participation in developing educational programs. Creates a new system for disbursing Title IV, HEA assistance to students in subscription-based programs. Allows clock hour programs, which often lead to state licensed occupations, to utilize innovative learning models STATE Arizona:  The Department of Health Services will require schools, child care centers and shelters to report outbreaks of COVID-19 to local health officials DC:  Story on the steps DCPS is taking to ensure students have connectivity and devices.  Florida:  Between 7-10 a.m. Monday, more than 220,000 Hillsborough teachers and students were logging in to the district's eLearning App Canvas as well as hundreds of Zoom meetings. The 1,200 logins per minute crashed the system. "Right now we've had and housed over 225,000 zoom meetings, and in that we've had 15,000 licenses that we've purchased and we've had over 66 million minutes used on Zoom." Hawaii:  Schools are canceling contracts with Acellus Learning Accelerator due to concerns over controversial and racist content. Illinois:  CPS will charge thousands in tuition for virtual pre kindergarten this fall: "For Cheryl Kaplan Zachariah, staying in a program at Alcott Elementary was not an option. As the mother of two young children with different remote learning schedules, and a dissertation of her own to write, she would still need child care help. School for her 7-year-old, entering second grade at Alcott, is free. But pre-K tuition for the 4-year-old was going to be $15,275 for the year, according to CPS documents — and she would still need to pay for day care." Massachusetts:  The Department released guidance that states a clear expectation that in districts opening remotely teachers and critical support staff will report to schools daily and work from classrooms and educational spaces.  “Having teachers and critical support staff in the school will be beneficial to students, teachers, staff, and administrators for several reasons." Michigan:  Detroit teachers authorize strike over safety fears.  The union said 80% of their members want to teach online only while 15% want to teach face-to-face. New York:  The challenges of providing distance learning to 114,000 homeless students. North Carolina:  Time interview with Harold L. Martin discussing how he is preparing the country's largest HBCU - the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University - for reopening.   South Dakota:  With the state not reporting COVID cases in schools, a newspaper is collecting the information and publishing it. INTERNATIONAL Bangladesh:  More than 300,000 Rohingya refugee children need Internet access for remote learning.  Canada:  The government is expected to provide an additional $2 billion to help schools with safely reopening. Mexico:  Google.org post on how their work with UNETE is working to improve the quality and equity of education in Mexico.  Nigeria:  New study of the experience of students attending Anchor University who had to shift to online learning.  Over 60% of the participants did not enjoy learning through uploaded videos and other online learning channels. The majority of the students say they concentrate more with a teacher in the class than when watching a video online. Pakistan:  Schools will reopen on Sept. 15. ECONOMIC RECOVERY CFDIs:  A good overview from Bridgespan, including philanthropic partnership opportunities. Xoogler School:  Current and former Google employees are forming an online program aimed at preparing students for the workforce if they’re taking time off school due to the coronavirus pandemic. Opportunity Zones:  The Administration released several documents: Executive Order requiring federal agencies to locate new buildings in OZs. The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) released a report on the economic impact of OZs.  They estimate $75 billion in private capital was raised by the end of 2019, most of which may not have occurred in OZs without the incentive. The report finds that every $1 raised by qualified opportunity funds under the OZ incentive had a direct forgone federal revenue effect of 15 cents and projects that the capital already raised by QOFs could decrease poverty in OZs by 11 percent, lifting 1 million people out of poverty. LEARNING PODS Pods and Concerns They Widen Equity Gaps:  "These parental pods are like exclusive private schools, very selective on who gets in," said Lily Eskelsen Garcia, president of the National Education Association.  Two Atlanta mothers  set up a network where families could find podmates and caregivers. In their case, they and other families agree to split the cost while inviting in a sixth student from their children's school who could not afford ordinarily to.   Legal Liability:  Article: "If someone gets the coronavirus after being part of a learning pod in someone’s home, will the homeowner face potential liability?  Yes and No.  Yes, such supervising/hosting parents would be liable for negligently-caused harms — whether it is a slippery floor, a kitchen fire, or failure to screen someone with COVID symptoms. However, specifying precisely what “negligence” looks like for COVID is not simple, and there is a substantial question of causation." "Should homeowners ask participating families to sign liability waivers, promising not to hold the homeowner responsible?  I expect that pod hosts will require people to sign liability waivers. I do not expect that the waivers will in fact absolve hosts of liability for their own negligence, but I do expect courts to be leery of imposing liability in all but egregious cases of misconduct. Waivers should communicate the uncertainties and inherent risks of this activity. That is, your kid might get sick from the pod even if everyone does everything right. Got it? Then sign here." Penalties For Pods Operating Without a Childcare License:  The South Carolina Department of Social Services says pod operators need a family child care home license because they are considered in-home daycare centers, according to state law. According to state law, pod operators can only care for up to six children, including their own. However, local zoning regulations could limit that number further. NurturePods:  Has a 14-point matching system that takes into account criteria like children’s age, location, size of the group, and the families’ criteria for reducing health risks, Employer Trends With Childcare: From HR Executive: "Bright Horizons is seeing more employers seeking to connect employees with childcare—especially at an affordable rate, such as through employer subsidies." "Some employers are helping employees get their children into smaller, facilitated learning programs." "Virtual and live tutoring options are being offered at discounts to employees, with programs that offer coursework for all ages and abilities, along with access to individual support and learning pods." Equitable Pods: Bryan C. Hassel & Sharon Kebschull Barrett on how to make pods more equitable: District leaders must survey parents to identify interest in a pod versus staying at home, so they can plan for the true need Communities must identify all the spaces and adults available to supervise these students while they learn through remote instruction—and be creative! Pods should be funded through a combination of redirecting existing staff and funding streams, tapping pandemic-related state and federal support, and accepting contributed time, staff, and space from community groups. Districts must assign students to pods. RESOURCES Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report:  AAP said about 9.3% of all COVID-19 patients so far are children, representing about 442,000 confirmed cases.  The overall rate of pediatric infection is 583 cases per 100,000 children in the population.  Children were 0.4% to 4.6% of total reported hospitalizations, and 0% to 0.7% of fatalities. US Faces Back-to-School Laptop Shortage:    Lenovo, HP and Dell, have told school districts they have a shortage of nearly 5 million laptops. Senator Warner has sent letters to the CEOs of major tech companies, including Google, Apple, Acer, Dell and Microsoft, asking them to make discounted or free devices available to low-income students who are participating in online learning. Low Participation In Online SNAP:  USDA says online SNAP is now accessible to more than 90% of users — or around 34 million people - but only 4% are using it.. New York’s School Chaos Is Breaking Me:  A NYT opinion piece from Michelle Goldberg that has generated some heated discussion today.  "Privileged parents like me are getting a taste of something that other urban parents have always gone through. No matter what I do — no matter how much futile energy I spend trying to think my way out of this — an adequate public education is now out of reach for my family, and I’m not quite sure how to secure a private one. I’m one of many relatively rich people experiencing what poor people experience all the time — total abandonment by our government." MoveSchoolForward:  Coalition of 14 student led organizations campaign. Principles include listening to students, closing the digital divide, addressing basic needs, moving away from one-size-fits-all instruction and evaluation and creating an inclusive curriculum YC:  Companies from Day 1 Demo Day include: Charityvest: The startup’s service allows companies to offer donor advised funds to folks in the middle classes, as an employee benefit. The company has rang up $65,000 in ARR ($5,400 in MRR) thus far. Many big companies match employee donations to some degree. Strive School: Is building a Lambda School for Europe, leveraging income-share agreements to train software engineers who don’t pay for the education until they get a job in the industry. Once a graduate lands a role, the ISA terms charge the person 10% of salary for four years with a maximum total of €18,000.  ZipSchool: Live online classes for kids ages 4-9. How Charters Shifted To Remote Learning: New report from the Fordham Institute covering with lessons learned from the following charter networks as they transitioned to online and blended learning: Achievement First DSST Public Schools IDEA Public Schools KIPP DC Noble Network of Charter Schools Rocketship Public Schools Success Academy Uncommon Schools  Wildfires Add Angst to Distance Learning:  Students disrupted by covid now find themselves further disrupted by wildfires.   The federal government's fire and smoke map gives a sense of not just the fires but the smoke plumes impacting so much of the country (including school reopenings). Sir Ken Robinson:  Passed away this week.  Worth rewatching his 2006 TED Talk.  I remember a talk he gave quoting a William B. Yeats poem, which ends: “Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.”  Robinson then concluded, "And every day, everywhere, our children spread their dreams under our feet. And we should tread softly." If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address Alexandria, VA 22311

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COVID-19 Policy Update MONDAY 8/24 FEDERAL Study Finds Very Low Numbers of COVID-19 Outbreaks In Schools: Placing this at the top given the implications for schools in the US.  Public Health England (PHE) - an executive agency under the UK's Department of Health and Social Care - found only 67 single cases and 30 outbreaks (defined as 2 or more linked cases) in schools across England in June.  Only 0.01% of open educational settings had an outbreak. Out of more than 1 million children attending pre-school and primary school in June, just 70 children were affected.  The analysis found children were more likely to acquire the virus at home rather than at school.  The study has been submitted to Lancent for review and publishing.  Report / Data Tables. CDC:  Updated its school guidance Friday.  "The available evidence from countries that have reopened schools showed that Covid-19 'poses low risks to school-aged children—at least in areas with low community transmission."  They also recommend schools offer remote counseling and ensure the continuity of mental health services. Court Blocks ED's Method of Sending Funds to Private Schools:  U.S. District Court Judge Barbara J. Rothstein granted the state of Washington’s motion for a preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of the interim final rule issued by ED regarding the distribution of CARES Act funding to private schools. The dispute revolves around whether the CARES Act requires states to allocate funding to private schools using a formula based on the percentage of students from low-income families who attend private school or whether the CARES Act authorized USED to direct states to allocate funding based on total enrollment in private schools (as the Department asserts).  Ed Week here. USPS: On Saturday, the House passed a $25 billion emergency funding bill for the USPS, which Democrats say is urgently needed to halt any attempt by President Trump to impede mail-in voting this fall. The bill passed 257-150, with 26 Republicans backing the bill. The bill does not have a path forward in the Senate, with both the Senate and White House preferring to address USPS funding through a comprehensive Phase 4 bill.  It also has drawn criticism for why a similar sense of urgency isn't being applied to passing a Phase 4 or at least funding in the areas where there is agreement.   STATE Tracking COVID Cases in Schools: NYT story covering how some schools are reporting cases and others are not. AASA, NAESP, and Brown Economics Professor Emily Oster are forming a partnership to create the first nationwide database that systematically maps schools’ responses to COVID.  Schools interested in participating can sign up here. Florida:  Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson ruled in favor of Florida’s statewide teachers union, saying Department of Education officials “essentially ignored the requirement of school safety” when they ordered campuses to reopen for face-to-face classes this month.  Decision here and some select quotes: "If an individual school district chooses safety, that is, delaying the start of schools until it individually determines it is safe to do so for its county, it risks losing state funding, even though every student is being taught." "The Order states the day-to-day decision to open or close a school rests locally with the school boards, subject to the advice of local health officials. Although that language sounds good, it is essentially meaningless. Plaintiffs presented convincing evidence that State health officials were instructed not to provide an opinion on the reopening of schools. "Interestingly, this hearing was done remotely, via Zoom technology. That is because it has been decided it is unsafe to hold in person trials in the Leon County courthouse during this highly dangerous pandemic. That was a local decision based on local conditions." Additionally, Defendants' medical expert is a distinguished research doctor who teaches at Stanford University. Although he testified it is safe enough to reopen our schools, he also admitted Stanford University will not be holding in-person classes in the fall. Classes there will be taught remotely because of the pandemic." "The Court finds Plaintiffs have met their burden. The Order is unconstitutional to the extent it arbitrarily disregards safety, denies local school boards decision making with respect to reopening brick and mortar schools, and conditions funding on an approved reopening plan with a start date in August. The Order will, however, pass constitutional muster if its unconstitutional portions are severed."  [The court then went on to strike several sections from the order] Indiana:  Southwest Allen County School District is looking for more than 100 students from any district to enroll in their new eSACS program at no cost. New York:   NYC launched a survey to better understand the childcare needs when schools reopen. Success Academies Remote 2.0 guide for parents and students. Oklahoma:  The Tulsa SEED Study: Nearly 1 in 5 parents reported that their child never communicated with their teacher during distance learning. 2 in 5 children spent an hour per day or less on distance learning, as reported by their parents. Half of teachers reported that they spent an hour or less per day on live instruction.  Texas:   Dallas ISD:  Students protested the cancelation of athletics. Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio surveyed nearly 2,000 public school students, teachers and parents in eight local districts in an effort to gather data on the challenges to online learning. Well worth reading the whole report but a few highlights: INTERNATIONAL Germany:  Only 41 of 825 schools in Berlin schools reported coronavirus cases during the two weeks after the German capital’s 825 schools reopened. Ireland:  At least 100 children aged between five and 14 have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks. Iraq:  The 'Covid-19 generation' faces forced labour, lack of school. With unemployment high, many children are forced to work as street sellers. Mexico:  The government is working with different TV channels to broadcast content, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with different grade levels at different hours.  They are also developing 640 programs that will be distributed through 18 radio stations across the country. UK:   All 12 Chief and Deputy Chief Medical Officers agreed school was not harmful and urged parents to send their kids back to school saying children face an "exceptionally small risk" from Covid Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed directly to parents today in an effort to address their concerns but encourage the return of children to schools.  The PM said "nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school". ECONOMIC RECOVERY New Thinking on Covid Lockdowns: They’re Overly Blunt and Costly: Great piece from the great Greg Ip: "Five months later, the evidence suggests lockdowns were an overly blunt and economically costly tool. They are politically difficult to keep in place for long enough to stamp out the virus. The evidence also points to alternative strategies that could slow the spread of the epidemic at much less cost. As cases flare up throughout the U.S., some experts are urging policy makers to pursue these more targeted restrictions and interventions rather than another crippling round of lockdowns." "Lockdowns weren’t part of the contemporary playbook, either. Canada’s pandemic guidelines concluded that restrictions on movement were “impractical, if not impossible.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its 2017 community mitigation guidelines for pandemic flu, didn’t recommend stay-at-home orders or closing nonessential businesses even for a flu as severe as the one a century ago." "The experience of the past five months suggests the need for an alternative: Rather than lockdowns, using only those measures proven to maximize lives saved while minimizing economic and social disruption. “Emphasize the reopening of the highest economic benefit, lowest risk endeavors,” said Dr. Mina." If schools don’t reopen until next January, McKinsey & Co. estimates, low-income children will have lost a year of education, which it says translates into 4% lower lifetime earnings. "Dr. Mina’s and Mr. Stock’s team has designed a “smart” reopening plan based on contact frequency and vulnerability of five demographic groups and 66 economic sectors. It assumes most businesses reopen using industry guidelines on physical distancing, hygiene and working from home; schools reopen; masks are required; and churches, indoor sports venues and bars stay closed." Volatility:  In schedules and incomes are a growing challenge for many workers.  Child Allowance:  A long piece exploring how to counter child poverty during COVID.  The author suggests an annual payment of $3,000 per child would lift at least 38 times as many children out of poverty than an increased ($10.25 an hour) minimum wage. COVID is Dividing the American Worker:  Economists say the resulting ‘K’ shaped recovery will be good for professionals—and bad for everyone else.  "The pandemic has moved up the adoption of certain technologies by years, especially those supporting automation and remote work. In the short term, this means profound disruption—job loss and the need to move to new roles—for many Americans who have the least wherewithal to cope. In the long term, experts say it may exacerbate trends that U.S. policy makers of every political persuasion have failed to fix for decades." Masks Are Good for the Economy:  Calculations from Goldman Sachs suggest that a 15 percentage-point rise in the share of the population that wears masks would reduce the daily growth of cases by about one percentage point. The Economist took those calculations a step further and estimated that "an American wearing a mask for a day is helping prevent a fall in GDP of $56.14. Not bad for something that you can buy for about 50 cents apiece." LEARNING PODS Learning Loft:  A Hillsborough County Public Schools teacher took a leave of absence due to caring for her 72 year old mother.  She leased space to create “Lee’s Learning Loft” for her 10-year-old daughter and 16 other students between 2nd and 8th grade who enrolled in the district's online program.  In addition to providing child care and meals in a socially distanced setting, Lee said her goals are to ensure students complete all of their assignments and to help families navigate the district’s new virtual learning platforms, Canvas and Achieve 3000.  An anonymous donor is helping three families attend.   Mom Talk:  A post from the Bush Center describing how a group of staff, friends, some former educators began connecting with one another to share ideas, discuss stress points, and provide encouragement. Michigan Pods:  When a family learned that Ann Arbor Public Schools would start the year remote learning, they hired a tutor to help their oldest daughter with in-person support as she enters advanced classes at Skyline High School; they enrolled their youngest at St. Thomas Catholic School for a quicker return to in-person classes, and they joined a Pod to help their middle child.  The school district is also offering Connections+ learning groups that will allow students to meet in-person at neighborhood partners, such as community centers and apartment clubhouses.  Other families used FamilyPodMatch.com to match with other families. Money Magazine:  Has a long article on pods.  JPMorgan Chase is offering discounts on virtual tutors and learning pods for eligible employees through its employer-sponsored child care provider, Bright Horizons.  One family said they're cutting cable, eating more meatless meals, driving less, and pausing clothes shopping.“Whatever we need to cut to make it work because we know if we don’t pay for this now, we’re going to have to pay for expensive tutors [later]." Indiana Regulatory Flexibility:  Gov. Holcomb issued an executive order authorizing groups, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA, to operate before- and after-school child care programs at locations other than school buildings. Georgia:  Kyle Wingfield on the state's use of CARES Act funding: "The remaining $22 million or so could be directed toward micro-grants for low-income families and/or children with special needs. Both groups are particularly harmed by remote learning. A $1,000 grant could support more than 20,000 students to get through the coming months, particularly if they form learning pods and pool their money for tutors or other adult supervision." Learning Centers:  A public charter school affiliated with Douglas County School District offers families an online-based education for students paired with a physical location to keep them focused during the day. There are 14 Learning Centers located across the metro area including the Action Learning Center in Aurora. The average class size is 16 and most centers have 75 enrolled on site. Since the Coronavirus outbreak, they’ve alternated cohorts with in-person and remote learning every two days. School District Supporting Micro Schools:  The Central Point School District surveyed its parents and found 40% were interested in participating in a micro school.  They're now exploring how to support these parents, including a possible partnership with the YMCA.   Mentor Jr:  Company founded by a 17 year old to help match mentors and tutors. RESOURCES 30% of Parents Plan to Keep their Kids Home:  According to a JAMA survey. Private Schools: Juliet Squire with an EdNext piece exploring the impact of COVID on private schools. Students Call for Colleges to Discount Cost When Opening Online:  "When you take the experience out and go to all-remote learning, effectively what you have is a streaming video service that costs $58,000 a year,” NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway A Flexible Teaching Model: A faculty member from the University of Hartford posted several helpful recommendations to assist teachers make the pivot to online teaching. Another Great Thread With Ideas: How a University of Pennsylvania faculty member is preparing for online classes. 50CAN:  Released two reports, both highly recommended: Measure Everything: Emergency Data Collection in a National Crisis: focuses on 1) Collecting information wherever learning is happening, 2) Making data useful to families, and 3) Providing answers for policymakers. Fund Everything: Emergency Education Investments in a National Crisis:  1) Emergency funding for schools of all types, 2) Direct payments and tax credits to families that can be used to pay for tuition to a microschool; 3) Direct payments and tax credits to families who chose to homeschool their children this year. SPN Poll:  Parent perspectives: Where Americans Want a Vaccine to Go First:  Axios survey.  44% say teachers and 28% say children under 17. Where Americans Want a Vaccine to Go First:  Axios survey. 44% say teachers and 28% say children under 17. You'll Be Back:  A school principal channels his inner Hamilton to welcome students back. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/24

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COVID-19 Policy Update MONDAY 8/24 FEDERAL Study Finds Very Low Numbers of COVID-19 Outbreaks In Schools: Placing this at the top given the implications for schools in the US.  Public Health England (PHE) - an executive agency under the UK's Department of Health and Social Care - found only 67 single cases and 30 outbreaks (defined as 2 or more linked cases) in schools across England in June.  Only 0.01% of open educational settings had an outbreak. Out of more than 1 million children attending pre-school and primary school in June, just 70 children were affected.  The analysis found children were more likely to acquire the virus at home rather than at school.  The study has been submitted to Lancent for review and publishing.  Report / Data Tables. CDC:  Updated its school guidance Friday.  "The available evidence from countries that have reopened schools showed that Covid-19 'poses low risks to school-aged children—at least in areas with low community transmission."  They also recommend schools offer remote counseling and ensure the continuity of mental health services. Court Blocks ED's Method of Sending Funds to Private Schools:  U.S. District Court Judge Barbara J. Rothstein granted the state of Washington’s motion for a preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of the interim final rule issued by ED regarding the distribution of CARES Act funding to private schools. The dispute revolves around whether the CARES Act requires states to allocate funding to private schools using a formula based on the percentage of students from low-income families who attend private school or whether the CARES Act authorized USED to direct states to allocate funding based on total enrollment in private schools (as the Department asserts).  Ed Week here. USPS: On Saturday, the House passed a $25 billion emergency funding bill for the USPS, which Democrats say is urgently needed to halt any attempt by President Trump to impede mail-in voting this fall. The bill passed 257-150, with 26 Republicans backing the bill. The bill does not have a path forward in the Senate, with both the Senate and White House preferring to address USPS funding through a comprehensive Phase 4 bill.  It also has drawn criticism for why a similar sense of urgency isn't being applied to passing a Phase 4 or at least funding in the areas where there is agreement.   STATE Tracking COVID Cases in Schools: NYT story covering how some schools are reporting cases and others are not. AASA, NAESP, and Brown Economics Professor Emily Oster are forming a partnership to create the first nationwide database that systematically maps schools’ responses to COVID.  Schools interested in participating can sign up here. Florida:  Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson ruled in favor of Florida’s statewide teachers union, saying Department of Education officials “essentially ignored the requirement of school safety” when they ordered campuses to reopen for face-to-face classes this month.  Decision here and some select quotes: "If an individual school district chooses safety, that is, delaying the start of schools until it individually determines it is safe to do so for its county, it risks losing state funding, even though every student is being taught." "The Order states the day-to-day decision to open or close a school rests locally with the school boards, subject to the advice of local health officials. Although that language sounds good, it is essentially meaningless. Plaintiffs presented convincing evidence that State health officials were instructed not to provide an opinion on the reopening of schools. "Interestingly, this hearing was done remotely, via Zoom technology. That is because it has been decided it is unsafe to hold in person trials in the Leon County courthouse during this highly dangerous pandemic. That was a local decision based on local conditions." Additionally, Defendants' medical expert is a distinguished research doctor who teaches at Stanford University. Although he testified it is safe enough to reopen our schools, he also admitted Stanford University will not be holding in-person classes in the fall. Classes there will be taught remotely because of the pandemic." "The Court finds Plaintiffs have met their burden. The Order is unconstitutional to the extent it arbitrarily disregards safety, denies local school boards decision making with respect to reopening brick and mortar schools, and conditions funding on an approved reopening plan with a start date in August. The Order will, however, pass constitutional muster if its unconstitutional portions are severed."  [The court then went on to strike several sections from the order] Indiana:  Southwest Allen County School District is looking for more than 100 students from any district to enroll in their new eSACS program at no cost. New York:   NYC launched a survey to better understand the childcare needs when schools reopen. Success Academies Remote 2.0 guide for parents and students. Oklahoma:  The Tulsa SEED Study: Nearly 1 in 5 parents reported that their child never communicated with their teacher during distance learning. 2 in 5 children spent an hour per day or less on distance learning, as reported by their parents. Half of teachers reported that they spent an hour or less per day on live instruction.  Texas:   Dallas ISD:  Students protested the cancelation of athletics. Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio surveyed nearly 2,000 public school students, teachers and parents in eight local districts in an effort to gather data on the challenges to online learning. Well worth reading the whole report but a few highlights: INTERNATIONAL Germany:  Only 41 of 825 schools in Berlin schools reported coronavirus cases during the two weeks after the German capital’s 825 schools reopened. Ireland:  At least 100 children aged between five and 14 have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks. Iraq:  The 'Covid-19 generation' faces forced labour, lack of school. With unemployment high, many children are forced to work as street sellers. Mexico:  The government is working with different TV channels to broadcast content, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with different grade levels at different hours.  They are also developing 640 programs that will be distributed through 18 radio stations across the country. UK:   All 12 Chief and Deputy Chief Medical Officers agreed school was not harmful and urged parents to send their kids back to school saying children face an "exceptionally small risk" from Covid Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed directly to parents today in an effort to address their concerns but encourage the return of children to schools.  The PM said "nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school". ECONOMIC RECOVERY New Thinking on Covid Lockdowns: They’re Overly Blunt and Costly: Great piece from the great Greg Ip: "Five months later, the evidence suggests lockdowns were an overly blunt and economically costly tool. They are politically difficult to keep in place for long enough to stamp out the virus. The evidence also points to alternative strategies that could slow the spread of the epidemic at much less cost. As cases flare up throughout the U.S., some experts are urging policy makers to pursue these more targeted restrictions and interventions rather than another crippling round of lockdowns." "Lockdowns weren’t part of the contemporary playbook, either. Canada’s pandemic guidelines concluded that restrictions on movement were “impractical, if not impossible.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in its 2017 community mitigation guidelines for pandemic flu, didn’t recommend stay-at-home orders or closing nonessential businesses even for a flu as severe as the one a century ago." "The experience of the past five months suggests the need for an alternative: Rather than lockdowns, using only those measures proven to maximize lives saved while minimizing economic and social disruption. “Emphasize the reopening of the highest economic benefit, lowest risk endeavors,” said Dr. Mina." If schools don’t reopen until next January, McKinsey & Co. estimates, low-income children will have lost a year of education, which it says translates into 4% lower lifetime earnings. "Dr. Mina’s and Mr. Stock’s team has designed a “smart” reopening plan based on contact frequency and vulnerability of five demographic groups and 66 economic sectors. It assumes most businesses reopen using industry guidelines on physical distancing, hygiene and working from home; schools reopen; masks are required; and churches, indoor sports venues and bars stay closed." Volatility:  In schedules and incomes are a growing challenge for many workers.  Child Allowance:  A long piece exploring how to counter child poverty during COVID.  The author suggests an annual payment of $3,000 per child would lift at least 38 times as many children out of poverty than an increased ($10.25 an hour) minimum wage. COVID is Dividing the American Worker:  Economists say the resulting ‘K’ shaped recovery will be good for professionals—and bad for everyone else.  "The pandemic has moved up the adoption of certain technologies by years, especially those supporting automation and remote work. In the short term, this means profound disruption—job loss and the need to move to new roles—for many Americans who have the least wherewithal to cope. In the long term, experts say it may exacerbate trends that U.S. policy makers of every political persuasion have failed to fix for decades." Masks Are Good for the Economy:  Calculations from Goldman Sachs suggest that a 15 percentage-point rise in the share of the population that wears masks would reduce the daily growth of cases by about one percentage point. The Economist took those calculations a step further and estimated that "an American wearing a mask for a day is helping prevent a fall in GDP of $56.14. Not bad for something that you can buy for about 50 cents apiece." LEARNING PODS Learning Loft:  A Hillsborough County Public Schools teacher took a leave of absence due to caring for her 72 year old mother.  She leased space to create “Lee’s Learning Loft” for her 10-year-old daughter and 16 other students between 2nd and 8th grade who enrolled in the district's online program.  In addition to providing child care and meals in a socially distanced setting, Lee said her goals are to ensure students complete all of their assignments and to help families navigate the district’s new virtual learning platforms, Canvas and Achieve 3000.  An anonymous donor is helping three families attend.   Mom Talk:  A post from the Bush Center describing how a group of staff, friends, some former educators began connecting with one another to share ideas, discuss stress points, and provide encouragement. Michigan Pods:  When a family learned that Ann Arbor Public Schools would start the year remote learning, they hired a tutor to help their oldest daughter with in-person support as she enters advanced classes at Skyline High School; they enrolled their youngest at St. Thomas Catholic School for a quicker return to in-person classes, and they joined a Pod to help their middle child.  The school district is also offering Connections+ learning groups that will allow students to meet in-person at neighborhood partners, such as community centers and apartment clubhouses.  Other families used FamilyPodMatch.com to match with other families. Money Magazine:  Has a long article on pods.  JPMorgan Chase is offering discounts on virtual tutors and learning pods for eligible employees through its employer-sponsored child care provider, Bright Horizons.  One family said they're cutting cable, eating more meatless meals, driving less, and pausing clothes shopping.“Whatever we need to cut to make it work because we know if we don’t pay for this now, we’re going to have to pay for expensive tutors [later]." Indiana Regulatory Flexibility:  Gov. Holcomb issued an executive order authorizing groups, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA, to operate before- and after-school child care programs at locations other than school buildings. Georgia:  Kyle Wingfield on the state's use of CARES Act funding: "The remaining $22 million or so could be directed toward micro-grants for low-income families and/or children with special needs. Both groups are particularly harmed by remote learning. A $1,000 grant could support more than 20,000 students to get through the coming months, particularly if they form learning pods and pool their money for tutors or other adult supervision." Learning Centers:  A public charter school affiliated with Douglas County School District offers families an online-based education for students paired with a physical location to keep them focused during the day. There are 14 Learning Centers located across the metro area including the Action Learning Center in Aurora. The average class size is 16 and most centers have 75 enrolled on site. Since the Coronavirus outbreak, they’ve alternated cohorts with in-person and remote learning every two days. School District Supporting Micro Schools:  The Central Point School District surveyed its parents and found 40% were interested in participating in a micro school.  They're now exploring how to support these parents, including a possible partnership with the YMCA.   Mentor Jr:  Company founded by a 17 year old to help match mentors and tutors. RESOURCES 30% of Parents Plan to Keep their Kids Home:  According to a JAMA survey. Private Schools: Juliet Squire with an EdNext piece exploring the impact of COVID on private schools. Students Call for Colleges to Discount Cost When Opening Online:  "When you take the experience out and go to all-remote learning, effectively what you have is a streaming video service that costs $58,000 a year,” NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway A Flexible Teaching Model: A faculty member from the University of Hartford posted several helpful recommendations to assist teachers make the pivot to online teaching. Another Great Thread With Ideas: How a University of Pennsylvania faculty member is preparing for online classes. 50CAN:  Released two reports, both highly recommended: Measure Everything: Emergency Data Collection in a National Crisis: focuses on 1) Collecting information wherever learning is happening, 2) Making data useful to families, and 3) Providing answers for policymakers. Fund Everything: Emergency Education Investments in a National Crisis:  1) Emergency funding for schools of all types, 2) Direct payments and tax credits to families that can be used to pay for tuition to a microschool; 3) Direct payments and tax credits to families who chose to homeschool their children this year. SPN Poll:  Parent perspectives: Where Americans Want a Vaccine to Go First:  Axios survey.  44% say teachers and 28% say children under 17. Where Americans Want a Vaccine to Go First:  Axios survey. 44% say teachers and 28% say children under 17. You'll Be Back:  A school principal channels his inner Hamilton to welcome students back. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/21

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COVID-19 Policy Update FRIDAY 8/21 FEDERAL USDA:  Will not extend the waiver from federal school meal requirements that has given schools and community groups more flexibility to feed students during COVID-19. The waivers gave schools the flexibility to serve a broader group of students and community members.  It also allowed organizations, like youth centers, to receive federal reimbursements to provide meals to children in their areas.  More at EdWeek and BloombergGov. Teachers as Essential Workers:  The Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), who oversees the the list of occupations considered essential for various emergencies released updated guidance that included teachers and other education professionals:  Workers who support the education of pre-school, K-12, college, university, career and technical education, and adult education students, including professors, teachers, teacher aides, special education and special needs teachers, ESOL teachers, para-educators, apprenticeship supervisors, and specialists.  Workers who provide services necessary to support educators and students, including but not limited to, administrators, administrative staff, IT specialists, media specialists, librarians, guidance counselors, school psychologists and other mental health professions, school nurses and other health professionals, and school safety personnel.  Workers who support the transportation and operational needs of schools, including bus drivers, crossing guards, cafeteria workers, cleaning and maintenance workers, bus depot and maintenance workers, and those that deliver food and supplies to school facilities.  Workers who support the administration of school systems including, school superintendents and their management and operational staff.  Educators and operational staff facilitating and supporting distance learning. This is guidance, not a mandate.  States ultimately determine who is considered essential during emergencies.  NCSL has a useful overview of state essential worker policies. CDC:  Director Dr. Redfield pointed to Rhode Island’s coronavirus restrictions in day-cares as a ‘path’ to reopen schools.  A CDC study found that by July 31, 666 child-care facilities were allowed to reopen across the state with capacity for 18,945 children and only saw 52 infections. STATE Florida:   Politifact on Gov. DeSantis saying "COVID-19 is a lower risk for school-aged kids than flu."  Rated:  Mostly True. In the last 13 days there have been 7,000 confirmed diagnoses with children and 1 death. Iowa:  The Department of Education has denied Des Moines Public Schools' request to start the school year completely online.  The district will take their case to court.   Indiana:  After watching Notre Dame and UNC Chapel Hill have to close due to outbreaks, Purdue's Mitch Daniels suspended 36 students the first night of school due to a party. Kentucky: Green County Schools, which opened in person on Monday, is switching to remote learning until Sept. 8 due to a spike in cases. Massachusetts:   According to Baker, “nearly three quarters” of the 371 school districts have indicated they plan to bring students back for either full-time or part-time in-person. Boston will start the year remotely. Michigan:  The state reported 14 outbreaks in schools. Texas:  TEA and the Department of State Health Services will use a tracking system to monitor and report COVID-19 cases in schools. Virginia:  The state said every teacher in public schools across the commonwealth will be able to host virtual classes through its online learning system, Virtual Virginia. INTERNATIONAL Canada:  Alberta’s top doctor sending her children to school. "We must learn how to live with this virus. And how to find the right balance between preventing uncontrolled COVID-19 spread and preventing the harms that come from shutting down essential parts of our society.” Germany:  The University of Fine Arts in Hamburg said three people will receive the "grant for doing nothing" and be paid $1,900 to engage in a specific form of "active inactivity."   How does one compete on the amount of "nothingness" they're going to do compared to other applicants?  Isn't applying for it actually doing something?  Is Congress eligible? Malawi:  onebillion is helping 2,000 children in 700 households with online learning using a unique set of edtech tools and services. ECONOMIC RECOVERY Reskilling:  NBER paper found that from 2002 to 2009, only 1 in 100 workers in Ohio who were displaced in mass layoffs enrolled in a public 2 or 4 year degree institution. Only 29% of workers who enrolled in college earned a degree. Important insights as policymakers begin thinking about retraining efforts during COVID. Outreach and helping workers navigate pathways might be as important as the training itself. Existing Home Sales:  Jumped 24.7% from June to 5.86 million in July (above consensus forecasts) Highest rate since 2006. Chartbook: KPMG's latest chartbook with some great information.  Several highlights:  they're forecasting a long recovery (beyond Q4 2021) but school closures play into their pessimistic scenario.  Bankruptcies have reached 2009 levels.  And economists are converging around a "swoosh" shared recovery vs a V shape.     LEARNING PODS Why Parents Love ‘Pandemic Pods’ for School — but Bureaucrats Hate Them:  From Lindsey Burke.  Aces Learning Hub:  Helps provide staffing for pods.  For a pod size of four students, the price is $32 per hour, or $8 per student per hour. Garage Learning:  Sheridan Ohlson has transformed her garage into a  'learning pod,' where eight-second graders will have class in the fall. RESOURCES The Kids Are (Not) Alright:  Long article in the Council on Foreign Relations analyzing the evidence for and against reopening schools. Grandparents:   Working families enlist grandparents to help with the kids. Advice to Parents:  With how to succeed with online learning this fall. EdTech Investment:  $803 million raised in the first half of 2020.  Also, Lambda raised $74 million in a Series C round. Advice to Writers:  From Alex Russo:  How to avoid writing needlessly alarmist school reopening stories Why Does School:  Have to be so complicated... If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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August 20

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COVID-19 Policy Update THURSDAY 8/20 In the words of Kanye West's campaign manager - this will be short.  Brief update tonight due to stalled negotiations, the convention, and most of DC out on August vacations. STATE Arizona:  ASU Prep Digital: Will go from serving 30,000 enrollments last year to 400,000 enrollments this school year. Created the Arizona Virtual Teacher Institute to help teachers across the state with preparing for online the learning.  Funding was provided by the Arizona Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, Helios Education Foundation and Arizona State University. In California, ASU Prep Digital is supporting 5 school districts in the LA County area with a ‘powered by’ model representing 23,000 students and 1,500 teachers. Colorado:  Denver Public Schools faces a nationwide shortage of devices. New Jersey:  Fair Lawn parents protest schools opening remotely.  Parent Alina Shumilenko said in a press release, "...simply because they failed to prepare and provide necessary equipment to ensure the safe environment on time. Our belief is there was plenty of time to do so. We will demand to have at least a hybrid model and have our kids go back to schools in small learning pods or sequentially - whatever is safer and feasible. If they don't have masks, we'll buy masks. We also do not believe that the announced date of 'back-to-normal' - October-19 -  is achievable because they already failed with planning, and we do not trust their professionalism to plan." Tennessee:  Parents of students who attend Rutherford County Schools (RCS) must agree not to monitor their child’s online classroom sessions. INTERNATIONAL Africa:   A WHO survey of 39 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that schools are fully open in only six countries. Ghana sets up committee to explore school reopening ECONOMIC RECOVERY Rise in Jobless Claims:  First time claims for state unemployment benefits rose above 1 million again, a sign to some economists that the economy’s rebound could be decelerating. LEARNING PODS Do Pods Violate CA's AB5 Law?  Never considered this but it's thought provoking: "California’s AB 5, which became effective Jan. 1, 2020, codifies a 2018 California Supreme Court decision that used a three-prong “ABC” test to determine whether workers were properly classified as independent contractors, rather than employees." "Notably, AB 5 does not exempt teachers and tutors hired by parents – an issue that has recently gained attention in light of the pandemic’s impact on school openings. Although some are calling for Gov. Newsom to suspend the application of AB 5 to at-home teachers and tutors, he has yet to do so." How Companies Are Supporting Working Parents: EY and Hewlett Packard are offering discounts on tutoring, more flexible leave policies, and creating resource groups for employees with similar-age children. “Employees had been through two and a half months of Zoom classrooms, and it was a nightmare, even for the most tech-savvy parents,” said Ellyn Shook, who leads human resources at Accenture. “Parents said they needed educational support, not just babysitting.” Real Simple:  Has an article on how to create a pod. Teachers Resigning to Become Pods Instructors:  Stories from several FL teachers. High School Pod:  Powered by Sora. Massachusetts Churches:  Look to open their doors to students as schools go to remote Facebook Groups:  The Pandemic Pods — South Central Pa Facebook group has about 160 members and is run by Tracy Walton, an Elizabethtown stay-at-home mom.  “There’s too many families that are stuck right now with no choices. So as many families that we can give options to, the better,” Walton said. “There have to be solutions that are available for many different situations and many different people.”  "Pandemic School Pods Las Vegas" has grown to more than 1,300 members, helping pods form around location, school, grade level, specific needs such as special education, or extracurricular activities such as art or physical education. VP of Marketing for the Knot: Changing Consumer Spending: EdTech investor and entrepreneur John Danner: RESOURCES New Transmission Study:  Researchers tested 192 children COVID-19 at MGH and Mass General Hospital for Children - 49 tested positive for the virus and 18 had late-onset, coronavirus-related illness.   The infected children were shown to have a significantly higher level of virus in their airways than hospitalized adults in ICUs for COVID-19 treatment. Phantom Risk:  Thought provoking piece from Tyler Cowen exploring the idea of risk aversion: "If, say, 20 Covid-19 cases were identified within a high school today, there is a very real risk that those infected students would carry the virus home and infect older and more vulnerable people. There is also a small risk that the students would sustain damage themselves. Not surprisingly, most schools won’t reopen because they cannot deal with the burden — institutionally, legally or otherwise — of being connected to significant numbers of Covid-19 cases. The question is how this stigma ends. If rates of death and possible long-term damage fell to half of their current levels? One-third? Less? I strongly suspect these same schools still would be unwilling to reopen, due in part to phantom risk." "If rates of death and damage fell to one-fifth of their current level, perhaps, there would be more reopenings — but there would still be a lot of reluctance to restore previous levels of attendance. How about one-tenth the level of mortality? It is hard to say when people will feel comfortable once again." "This kind of risk aversion will harm schools most of all, because it is relatively easy to figure out that a cluster of cases among the young came from their school interactions." We're in for a Marathon Not a Sprint:  "As schools consider whether it’s safe to reopen this fall, medical experts warn it could take years before students and teachers can return to in-person education safely without masks, social distancing and other measures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. ... Experts say it may take a couple of years before students can resume classes without the risk of an outbreak, especially among grade-school children." Templates:  For class schedules, lesson plans, and more via NIET.  17 Million Students Lack Home Internet:  With no relief from Congress, schools deploy an awkward mix of buses, mobile hotspots. Bill Gates:  How to help students get to college in the COVID era, What's Poppin'  We're virtual so gotta take it up a notch...   and more poppin. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/20

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COVID-19 Policy Update THURSDAY 8/20 In the words of Kanye West's campaign manager - this will be short.  Brief update tonight due to stalled negotiations, the convention, and most of DC out on August vacations. STATE Arizona:  ASU Prep Digital: Will go from serving 30,000 enrollments last year to 400,000 enrollments this school year. Created the Arizona Virtual Teacher Institute to help teachers across the state with preparing for online the learning.  Funding was provided by the Arizona Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, Helios Education Foundation and Arizona State University. In California, ASU Prep Digital is supporting 5 school districts in the LA County area with a ‘powered by’ model representing 23,000 students and 1,500 teachers. Colorado:  Denver Public Schools faces a nationwide shortage of devices. New Jersey:  Fair Lawn parents protest schools opening remotely.  Parent Alina Shumilenko said in a press release, "...simply because they failed to prepare and provide necessary equipment to ensure the safe environment on time. Our belief is there was plenty of time to do so. We will demand to have at least a hybrid model and have our kids go back to schools in small learning pods or sequentially - whatever is safer and feasible. If they don't have masks, we'll buy masks. We also do not believe that the announced date of 'back-to-normal' - October-19 -  is achievable because they already failed with planning, and we do not trust their professionalism to plan." Tennessee:  Parents of students who attend Rutherford County Schools (RCS) must agree not to monitor their child’s online classroom sessions. INTERNATIONAL Africa:   A WHO survey of 39 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that schools are fully open in only six countries. Ghana sets up committee to explore school reopening ECONOMIC RECOVERY Rise in Jobless Claims:  First time claims for state unemployment benefits rose above 1 million again, a sign to some economists that the economy’s rebound could be decelerating. LEARNING PODS Do Pods Violate CA's AB5 Law?  Never considered this but it's thought provoking: "California’s AB 5, which became effective Jan. 1, 2020, codifies a 2018 California Supreme Court decision that used a three-prong “ABC” test to determine whether workers were properly classified as independent contractors, rather than employees." "Notably, AB 5 does not exempt teachers and tutors hired by parents – an issue that has recently gained attention in light of the pandemic’s impact on school openings. Although some are calling for Gov. Newsom to suspend the application of AB 5 to at-home teachers and tutors, he has yet to do so." How Companies Are Supporting Working Parents: EY and Hewlett Packard are offering discounts on tutoring, more flexible leave policies, and creating resource groups for employees with similar-age children. “Employees had been through two and a half months of Zoom classrooms, and it was a nightmare, even for the most tech-savvy parents,” said Ellyn Shook, who leads human resources at Accenture. “Parents said they needed educational support, not just babysitting.” Real Simple:  Has an article on how to create a pod. Teachers Resigning to Become Pods Instructors:  Stories from several FL teachers. High School Pod:  Powered by Sora. Massachusetts Churches:  Look to open their doors to students as schools go to remote Facebook Groups:  The Pandemic Pods — South Central Pa Facebook group has about 160 members and is run by Tracy Walton, an Elizabethtown stay-at-home mom.  “There’s too many families that are stuck right now with no choices. So as many families that we can give options to, the better,” Walton said. “There have to be solutions that are available for many different situations and many different people.”  "Pandemic School Pods Las Vegas" has grown to more than 1,300 members, helping pods form around location, school, grade level, specific needs such as special education, or extracurricular activities such as art or physical education. VP of Marketing for the Knot: Changing Consumer Spending: EdTech investor and entrepreneur John Danner: RESOURCES New Transmission Study:  Researchers tested 192 children COVID-19 at MGH and Mass General Hospital for Children - 49 tested positive for the virus and 18 had late-onset, coronavirus-related illness.   The infected children were shown to have a significantly higher level of virus in their airways than hospitalized adults in ICUs for COVID-19 treatment. Phantom Risk:  Thought provoking piece from Tyler Cowen exploring the idea of risk aversion: "If, say, 20 Covid-19 cases were identified within a high school today, there is a very real risk that those infected students would carry the virus home and infect older and more vulnerable people. There is also a small risk that the students would sustain damage themselves. Not surprisingly, most schools won’t reopen because they cannot deal with the burden — institutionally, legally or otherwise — of being connected to significant numbers of Covid-19 cases. The question is how this stigma ends. If rates of death and possible long-term damage fell to half of their current levels? One-third? Less? I strongly suspect these same schools still would be unwilling to reopen, due in part to phantom risk." "If rates of death and damage fell to one-fifth of their current level, perhaps, there would be more reopenings — but there would still be a lot of reluctance to restore previous levels of attendance. How about one-tenth the level of mortality? It is hard to say when people will feel comfortable once again." "This kind of risk aversion will harm schools most of all, because it is relatively easy to figure out that a cluster of cases among the young came from their school interactions." We're in for a Marathon Not a Sprint:  "As schools consider whether it’s safe to reopen this fall, medical experts warn it could take years before students and teachers can return to in-person education safely without masks, social distancing and other measures intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. ... Experts say it may take a couple of years before students can resume classes without the risk of an outbreak, especially among grade-school children." Templates:  For class schedules, lesson plans, and more via NIET.  17 Million Students Lack Home Internet:  With no relief from Congress, schools deploy an awkward mix of buses, mobile hotspots. Bill Gates:  How to help students get to college in the COVID era, What's Poppin'  We're virtual so gotta take it up a notch...   and more poppin. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/19

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COVID-19 Policy Update WEDNESDAY 8/17 FEDERAL Phase 4:  Although the Treasury Department has also not provided any guidance on the unemployment benefits EO, the Labor Department sent a memo and additional guidance to state workforce agencies to provide technical assistance for administering the benefits if a state chooses to participate. As of Aug. 18, the Trump administration has approved Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Utah to offer the unemployment supplement created by the EO. Other states said they would not be spending the state match for the benefits, citing strained budgets. CARES Act:  The IRS said it would provide additional time for those who were unable to give the agency the necessary information in time to receive the $500 direct cash benefit - the Economic Impact Payments (EIP) - for qualifying children. The registration period will be open from Aug. 15 through Sept. 30.  The IRS created a Non-Filers tool so even people who didn’t file their taxes could still receive the stimulus payments. However, they are still barring incarcerated and undocumented taxpayers from receiving the payments Extending Foreclosure Plan:  HUD will extend a ban on evictions and foreclosures for homes backed by the Federal Housing Administration through the end of the year Expiring USDA Waivers:  A wide group of education organizations, including CCSSO, NGA, and AASA, sent a letter to Congress and the USDA requesting the agency extend important waivers beyond August 31.  There are concerns that an extended set of waivers may be made contingent on schools reopening which would penalize students who are learning remotely.   STATE Colorado:  Poudre School District is purchasing 30,000 laptops and 2,250 hotspots. Florida:  The state's largest teachers’ union and attorneys for the state are meeting for court-ordered meditation in an attempt to come to an agreement on how to safely reopen schools. Georgia:  Children’s hospital employee and young patient have a dance party. Iowa:  A data glitch means the Iowa Department of Public Health has inadvertently been reporting fewer new infections and a smaller percentage of daily positive tests than is truly the case. Mississippi:  The state reports coronavirus cases within schools in 71 of 82 counties.  New Jersey:  List of schools planning to open remote only.  New York:   Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia said, "Schools are going to become hotbeds for the infections to take hold again and spread through the community.  It's almost inevitable if we are in fact going to even hold some classes in real time in real classrooms." “If we feel that a school is not safe, we are prepared to go to court and to take a job action,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. Ohio: Dayton Children's Hospital developed protocols for COVID-19 screening in schools including 12 scenarios schools might encounter.  Useful for schools throughout the country.  Tennessee:  Over 2,000 school-age children tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks. INTERNATIONAL Denmark: How Denmark safely reopened schools in a pandemic without requiring masks. Ireland:  Reopening schools full-time is the "top priority" for the Education Minister, the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief scientific adviser (CSA).  The CSA said, "I know that the guidance from the Department of Health, the Department of Education is aimed at making schools as Covid-secure as possible and making the experience of our schools opening as safe as it can be." Italy:  The government will make 2 million COVID tests available to teachers, custodians, and other staff ahead of schools reopening. LEARNING PODS Pandemic Pods:   One Facebook group has almost 40,000 members.  “It’s basically individual groups of people who decided to come together to find a solution during these times where there aren’t a whole lot of solutions.” Reinventing on the Fly: From CRPE:  How learning pods may hint at a new structure for public education. Let’s Create More Human-Centered Solutions to Schooling:  OpEd from Amy Anderson, Co-Founder and Executive Director at RESCHOOL and Michele Morenz, an Instructional Coach at the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School.  Center around those with the greatest needs Invest in people and their ideas Leverage under-utilized community assets Adjust staffing models A National Tutor Corps:  OpEd from Paul DiPerna: "With 1 in 5 20- to 24-year-olds out of work, a tutor corps could offer employment to millions of educated young adults, providing solid returns on investment for public dollars — in effect, a jobs stimulus that will keep people productive and contributing to the economy." "A good example is taking shape in Tennessee, where former governor Bill Haslam is recruiting 1,000 college students to the Tennessee Tutoring Corps. Its members will help as many as 5,000 K-6 students in the state." "In Oklahoma, there’s the new Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet, tasked with giving 5,000 low-income families $1,500 to spend on curriculum content, tutoring or technology." "We should start by investing in tutor banks, based on the ESA model, that directly provide funds to students and parents so they can afford regular tutoring. A tutor bank at the state level, paid for with federal and state funds, could help alleviate or prevent COVID-related learning loss." This Mom Created an Education Pod, and You Can Too: Podcast episode and transcript.  Financial Strain: Two financial services surveys of parents.  Should be read with a bit of caution given the self-interest, but important given the general trends they suggest.   CreditKarma survey found 33% of parents don’t feel financially prepared to pay for school-related necessities during the upcoming school year — and a quarter have already gone into debt just for supplies to support at-home learning. Bankrate survey found 3 in 5 parents say remote learning will negatively impact their finances.  RESOURCES A Warning for the United States From the Author of ‘The Great Influenza’:  "If we don’t get the virus under control, the devastation will get worse."  OpEd from John Barry whose book was instrumental in President Bush creating the first Pandemic Preparedness Plan.  When I was at the Dept. of Commerce in 2005, Dr. Fauci gave us a copy of the book with pages marked and sections highlighted to help cabinet members understand the scope of the challenge a pandemic would create. Telemedicine for Mental Health:  School leaders are looking to use technology tools ranging from text message-based counseling sessions to artificial intelligence that can help detect warning signs.  “What we saw before the pandemic was many, many schools were kind of hesitant to bring technology into their suite of the health services because of the unknowns around it,” said Laura Horne of Active Minds, which advocates for better mental health services for young people. “For better or for worse, the pandemic has kind of forced schools in a way to try those technology tools. When Can Schools Safely Reopen? The Answer Is Part Science, Part Guesswork:  Via FiveThirtyEight:  "In New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said schools could reopen if no more than 5 percent of local COVID-19 tests were coming back positive. But in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said schools couldn’t reopen unless the positivity rate was below 3 percent. In Arizona, it’s 7 percent;  in Minnesota, it’s 10 cases per 10,000 residents. And in Iowa, schools won’t be allowed to close for anything less than a 15 percent positivity rate." Thermal Scans:  NCS is working with schools to implement thermal imaging which allows 16 to 20 individuals to pass through at one time vs individual temperature checks.  This could help schools address a big bottleneck as they begin to reopen. Mask Simulator:  From IHME Higher Education Reopening Tracker:  Only tracks non-profit  4 yr degree institutions (1,400) but incredibly useful.  During These Times:  We all need a best friend. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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August 18

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COVID-19 Policy Update TUESDAY 8/18 FEDERAL Phase 4:  Senate Republicans introduced a “skinny” coronavirus relief bill which includes a $300 for expanded  unemployment benefits until December 27, $158 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, liability protections, $29 billion for vaccine development, $16 billion for contact tracing, and $105 billion for education (2/3 conditioned on schools being physically open 50% of time for 50% of students). No dedicated funding for closing the homework gap and no direct cash benefits.  This is an attempt to restart negotiations although Democrats have been resistant to a piecemeal approach preferring a more comprehensive bill.   Education Insiders:  From Whiteboard Advisor's Education Insiders survey:  "Nearly 77% of Education Insiders expect Congress to complete a Phase 4 stimulus package by the end of September, with 65% believing the final figure will be close to the $105 billion for education in the Senate HEALS Act (including $70 billion for K-12)." COVID (Non)Reporting:  It's important to note a massive blind spot emerging in our national surveillance efforts. The first national database of COVID cases in schools isn't coming from states, the Department of Education, or the CDC.  It's coming from a Kansas high school teacher using Google spreadsheets.  NBC News found that nine states - including Alabama, California, Ohio, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania - are collecting the data but will not publish it.   It's worth reading the entire NBC news article and also this thread from Tom Inglesby, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.  But it really is incredible at a time when everyone is trying to assess the risks of reopening schools that there isn't more complete data. In related news, Gov. Beshear announced that Kentucky schools with positive COVID-19 cases will be included in daily coronavirus reporting.   STATE Indiana:  Notre Dame cancels in-person classes after surge of COVID-19 cases.   Mississippi:  Gov. Reeves is providing COVID-19 testing for all teachers, even for those without symptoms and expanding school-based emergency telemedicine coverage throughout the state. North Carolina:  Governor Cooper was leaning toward reopening schools with full in-person learning in June, but delayed the decision after a call with Dr. Fauci. Pennsylvania:  The challenges of school buses during COVID. West Virginia:  The Governor released the School Re-entry Metric – a color-coded map system that will determine the level of openness for each Pre-K-12 school in the state. INTERNATIONAL Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics:  "There is now clear data on COVID-19 and children: it should be safe to reopen English schools."    "Children under 16 accounted for just over 1% of all cases of coronavirus during the “first wave” of illness in England, and even among those with respiratory symptoms, only 4% tested positive for the virus, compared with between 19% and 35% in adults." "This makes one thing clear: reopening schools after the summer break does not represent a significant Covid-19 risk to children and teenagers themselves. What is also clear is that... children and young people have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown relative to their risk of disease." Sweden "has kept schools open for under 16-year-olds during the pandemic, and found that infection rates in teachers were no higher, and were often lower, than other occupational groups." "As with many aspects of the pandemic, there is no perfect answer, but the opening of schools must be a priority for the coming academic year." ECONOMIC RECOVERY Permanent Closures:  New data from Yelp on growing number of businesses closing permanently.  LEARNING PODS Chicago Developer Converts Space Into “Pandemic Pod” Classrooms:  Glencoe-based developer and architectural firm Optima is converting four of its 25 office suites in the 490-unit tower into classrooms. Denver Schools Should Facilitate Learning Pods to Reduce Disparities:  Van Schoales is the CEO of A Plus Colorado:  "The Denver School Board still has time to reverse course. They could listen to families and commit to meet them where they are rather than telling them what to do... School districts like San Antonio, Indianapolis and Colorado’s Adams 12 Five Star are in conversations with families regarding their concerns and acting to establish quality online learning and safe, organized, in-person pods with an emphasis first on the students that most need these supports. These districts are not sitting back and doubling down on the existing system that is designed to grow inequitable student learning outcomes." Microschooling and Distance Learning:  New report from Matt Ladner for AEI.  CNBC:  Opinion piece from anchor Kelly Evans: "If I were the teachers’ unions I’d be making the full-throated case for why the fracturing of public school will terribly worsen inequality in this country, and that “opting out” is unpatriotic. (Even though school choice is also the only way for low-income kids to escape failing public schools.) I’d be doing everything possible to get the schools open as safely as possible and urge parents not to prematurely withdraw." "But the genie is out of the bottle now. In the same way that “work from home” has opened new possibilities for how and where people do their jobs now, families are realizing they can also basically do “school from anywhere.” If you’re forced to learn remotely, why go with your local school’s online offerings when you can have your pick of curricula from the internet, and do it from anywhere? The same people who would have wrinkled their nose at the term “homeschooling” a year ago are now dazzled by the sophistication of the offerings." RESOURCES New Research:  "Children could be up to 20 times more likely to catch COVID-19 at home than they are at school". Belgium's state virologist Steven Van Gucht said: 'We can say that the percentage of secondary infections at school is very low.' New Report Calls Into Question College Admission Tests:  The National Association for College Admission Counseling released a report critical of college entrance exams (SAT, ACT).  "The task force observed that if standardized testing perpetuates or worsens inequities, and if it is to remain a part of the undergraduate admission process at all, it must receive the most stringent of reviews." Clever:  Teacher turned desks with plexiglass shields into trucks with windshields for her students: Also Clever:  An economics professor used a sheet of plexiglass surrounded by a wood frame and LED lighting to create a lightboard for online instruction. EdNext Poll:  "Americans’ interest in online schooling is on the rise. In 2020, 73% of parents say they are willing to have their child take some high school courses via the Internet—a jump of 17 percentage points over 2009. Parents who report more positive experiences with remote instruction when schools closed this spring are more likely to support online education." These results and more on teacher pay, free college, the Trump effect, and more here. Anxious With Reopening:  Nearly two-thirds of Americans fear it will be unsafe to send children back to school this year according to a Financial Times poll.   The Important and Elusive Science Behind Safely Reopening Schools: Great JHU post on the challenges of having a single set of indicators to trigger the opening/closing of schools. Reopening Resources:  From Chiefs for Change including: 100-day planning tool Planning for Continuity of Learning Day in the Life Of Toolkit with McKinsey and CCSSO. COVID Resources COVID-19 Burden Index:  Torch Insight, an initiative from Leavitt Partners, has an interactive dashboard of active cases, hotspots, prevalence, hospital capacity, and transmission rates for counties and states.   Teaching the Trades:  Doesn't seem to work well online.... If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/18

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COVID-19 Policy Update TUESDAY 8/18 FEDERAL Phase 4:  Senate Republicans introduced a “skinny” coronavirus relief bill which includes a $300 for expanded  unemployment benefits until December 27, $158 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, an additional $10 billion for the U.S. Postal Service, liability protections, $29 billion for vaccine development, $16 billion for contact tracing, and $105 billion for education (2/3 conditioned on schools being physically open 50% of time for 50% of students). No dedicated funding for closing the homework gap and no direct cash benefits.  This is an attempt to restart negotiations although Democrats have been resistant to a piecemeal approach preferring a more comprehensive bill.   Education Insiders:  From Whiteboard Advisor's Education Insiders survey:  "Nearly 77% of Education Insiders expect Congress to complete a Phase 4 stimulus package by the end of September, with 65% believing the final figure will be close to the $105 billion for education in the Senate HEALS Act (including $70 billion for K-12)." COVID (Non)Reporting:  It's important to note a massive blind spot emerging in our national surveillance efforts. The first national database of COVID cases in schools isn't coming from states, the Department of Education, or the CDC.  It's coming from a Kansas high school teacher using Google spreadsheets.  NBC News found that nine states - including Alabama, California, Ohio, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania - are collecting the data but will not publish it.   It's worth reading the entire NBC news article and also this thread from Tom Inglesby, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.  But it really is incredible at a time when everyone is trying to assess the risks of reopening schools that there isn't more complete data. In related news, Gov. Beshear announced that Kentucky schools with positive COVID-19 cases will be included in daily coronavirus reporting.   STATE Indiana:  Notre Dame cancels in-person classes after surge of COVID-19 cases.   Mississippi:  Gov. Reeves is providing COVID-19 testing for all teachers, even for those without symptoms and expanding school-based emergency telemedicine coverage throughout the state. North Carolina:  Governor Cooper was leaning toward reopening schools with full in-person learning in June, but delayed the decision after a call with Dr. Fauci. Pennsylvania:  The challenges of school buses during COVID. West Virginia:  The Governor released the School Re-entry Metric – a color-coded map system that will determine the level of openness for each Pre-K-12 school in the state. INTERNATIONAL Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics:  "There is now clear data on COVID-19 and children: it should be safe to reopen English schools."    "Children under 16 accounted for just over 1% of all cases of coronavirus during the “first wave” of illness in England, and even among those with respiratory symptoms, only 4% tested positive for the virus, compared with between 19% and 35% in adults." "This makes one thing clear: reopening schools after the summer break does not represent a significant Covid-19 risk to children and teenagers themselves. What is also clear is that... children and young people have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown relative to their risk of disease." Sweden "has kept schools open for under 16-year-olds during the pandemic, and found that infection rates in teachers were no higher, and were often lower, than other occupational groups." "As with many aspects of the pandemic, there is no perfect answer, but the opening of schools must be a priority for the coming academic year." ECONOMIC RECOVERY Permanent Closures:  New data from Yelp on growing number of businesses closing permanently.  LEARNING PODS Chicago Developer Converts Space Into “Pandemic Pod” Classrooms:  Glencoe-based developer and architectural firm Optima is converting four of its 25 office suites in the 490-unit tower into classrooms. Denver Schools Should Facilitate Learning Pods to Reduce Disparities:  Van Schoales is the CEO of A Plus Colorado:  "The Denver School Board still has time to reverse course. They could listen to families and commit to meet them where they are rather than telling them what to do... School districts like San Antonio, Indianapolis and Colorado’s Adams 12 Five Star are in conversations with families regarding their concerns and acting to establish quality online learning and safe, organized, in-person pods with an emphasis first on the students that most need these supports. These districts are not sitting back and doubling down on the existing system that is designed to grow inequitable student learning outcomes." Microschooling and Distance Learning:  New report from Matt Ladner for AEI.  CNBC:  Opinion piece from anchor Kelly Evans: "If I were the teachers’ unions I’d be making the full-throated case for why the fracturing of public school will terribly worsen inequality in this country, and that “opting out” is unpatriotic. (Even though school choice is also the only way for low-income kids to escape failing public schools.) I’d be doing everything possible to get the schools open as safely as possible and urge parents not to prematurely withdraw." "But the genie is out of the bottle now. In the same way that “work from home” has opened new possibilities for how and where people do their jobs now, families are realizing they can also basically do “school from anywhere.” If you’re forced to learn remotely, why go with your local school’s online offerings when you can have your pick of curricula from the internet, and do it from anywhere? The same people who would have wrinkled their nose at the term “homeschooling” a year ago are now dazzled by the sophistication of the offerings." RESOURCES New Research:  "Children could be up to 20 times more likely to catch COVID-19 at home than they are at school". Belgium's state virologist Steven Van Gucht said: 'We can say that the percentage of secondary infections at school is very low.' New Report Calls Into Question College Admission Tests:  The National Association for College Admission Counseling released a report critical of college entrance exams (SAT, ACT).  "The task force observed that if standardized testing perpetuates or worsens inequities, and if it is to remain a part of the undergraduate admission process at all, it must receive the most stringent of reviews." Clever:  Teacher turned desks with plexiglass shields into trucks with windshields for her students: Also Clever:  An economics professor used a sheet of plexiglass surrounded by a wood frame and LED lighting to create a lightboard for online instruction. EdNext Poll:  "Americans’ interest in online schooling is on the rise. In 2020, 73% of parents say they are willing to have their child take some high school courses via the Internet—a jump of 17 percentage points over 2009. Parents who report more positive experiences with remote instruction when schools closed this spring are more likely to support online education." These results and more on teacher pay, free college, the Trump effect, and more here. Anxious With Reopening:  Nearly two-thirds of Americans fear it will be unsafe to send children back to school this year according to a Financial Times poll.   The Important and Elusive Science Behind Safely Reopening Schools: Great JHU post on the challenges of having a single set of indicators to trigger the opening/closing of schools. Reopening Resources:  From Chiefs for Change including: 100-day planning tool Planning for Continuity of Learning Day in the Life Of Toolkit with McKinsey and CCSSO. COVID Resources COVID-19 Burden Index:  Torch Insight, an initiative from Leavitt Partners, has an interactive dashboard of active cases, hotspots, prevalence, hospital capacity, and transmission rates for counties and states.   Teaching the Trades:  Doesn't seem to work well online.... If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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August 17

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COVID-19 Policy Update WEDNESDAY 8/17 FEDERAL Phase 4:  Although the Treasury Department has also not provided any guidance on the unemployment benefits EO, the Labor Department sent a memo and additional guidance to state workforce agencies to provide technical assistance for administering the benefits if a state chooses to participate. As of Aug. 18, the Trump administration has approved Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico and Utah to offer the unemployment supplement created by the EO. Other states said they would not be spending the state match for the benefits, citing strained budgets. CARES Act:  The IRS said it would provide additional time for those who were unable to give the agency the necessary information in time to receive the $500 direct cash benefit - the Economic Impact Payments (EIP) - for qualifying children. The registration period will be open from Aug. 15 through Sept. 30.  The IRS created a Non-Filers tool so even people who didn’t file their taxes could still receive the stimulus payments. However, they are still barring incarcerated and undocumented taxpayers from receiving the payments Extending Foreclosure Plan:  HUD will extend a ban on evictions and foreclosures for homes backed by the Federal Housing Administration through the end of the year Expiring USDA Waivers:  A wide group of education organizations, including CCSSO, NGA, and AASA, sent a letter to Congress and the USDA requesting the agency extend important waivers beyond August 31.  There are concerns that an extended set of waivers may be made contingent on schools reopening which would penalize students who are learning remotely.   STATE Colorado:  Poudre School District is purchasing 30,000 laptops and 2,250 hotspots. Florida:  The state's largest teachers’ union and attorneys for the state are meeting for court-ordered meditation in an attempt to come to an agreement on how to safely reopen schools. Georgia:  Children’s hospital employee and young patient have a dance party. Iowa:  A data glitch means the Iowa Department of Public Health has inadvertently been reporting fewer new infections and a smaller percentage of daily positive tests than is truly the case. Mississippi:  The state reports coronavirus cases within schools in 71 of 82 counties.  New Jersey:  List of schools planning to open remote only.  New York:   Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the Pandemic Resource and Response Initiative at Columbia said, "Schools are going to become hotbeds for the infections to take hold again and spread through the community.  It's almost inevitable if we are in fact going to even hold some classes in real time in real classrooms." “If we feel that a school is not safe, we are prepared to go to court and to take a job action,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. Ohio: Dayton Children's Hospital developed protocols for COVID-19 screening in schools including 12 scenarios schools might encounter.  Useful for schools throughout the country.  Tennessee:  Over 2,000 school-age children tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks. INTERNATIONAL Denmark: How Denmark safely reopened schools in a pandemic without requiring masks. Ireland:  Reopening schools full-time is the "top priority" for the Education Minister, the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief scientific adviser (CSA).  The CSA said, "I know that the guidance from the Department of Health, the Department of Education is aimed at making schools as Covid-secure as possible and making the experience of our schools opening as safe as it can be." Italy:  The government will make 2 million COVID tests available to teachers, custodians, and other staff ahead of schools reopening. LEARNING PODS Pandemic Pods:   One Facebook group has almost 40,000 members.  “It’s basically individual groups of people who decided to come together to find a solution during these times where there aren’t a whole lot of solutions.” Reinventing on the Fly: From CRPE:  How learning pods may hint at a new structure for public education. Let’s Create More Human-Centered Solutions to Schooling:  OpEd from Amy Anderson, Co-Founder and Executive Director at RESCHOOL and Michele Morenz, an Instructional Coach at the Downtown Denver Expeditionary School.  Center around those with the greatest needs Invest in people and their ideas Leverage under-utilized community assets Adjust staffing models A National Tutor Corps:  OpEd from Paul DiPerna: "With 1 in 5 20- to 24-year-olds out of work, a tutor corps could offer employment to millions of educated young adults, providing solid returns on investment for public dollars — in effect, a jobs stimulus that will keep people productive and contributing to the economy." "A good example is taking shape in Tennessee, where former governor Bill Haslam is recruiting 1,000 college students to the Tennessee Tutoring Corps. Its members will help as many as 5,000 K-6 students in the state." "In Oklahoma, there’s the new Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet, tasked with giving 5,000 low-income families $1,500 to spend on curriculum content, tutoring or technology." "We should start by investing in tutor banks, based on the ESA model, that directly provide funds to students and parents so they can afford regular tutoring. A tutor bank at the state level, paid for with federal and state funds, could help alleviate or prevent COVID-related learning loss." This Mom Created an Education Pod, and You Can Too: Podcast episode and transcript.  Financial Strain: Two financial services surveys of parents.  Should be read with a bit of caution given the self-interest, but important given the general trends they suggest.   CreditKarma survey found 33% of parents don’t feel financially prepared to pay for school-related necessities during the upcoming school year — and a quarter have already gone into debt just for supplies to support at-home learning. Bankrate survey found 3 in 5 parents say remote learning will negatively impact their finances.  RESOURCES A Warning for the United States From the Author of ‘The Great Influenza’:  "If we don’t get the virus under control, the devastation will get worse."  OpEd from John Barry whose book was instrumental in President Bush creating the first Pandemic Preparedness Plan.  When I was at the Dept. of Commerce in 2005, Dr. Fauci gave us a copy of the book with pages marked and sections highlighted to help cabinet members understand the scope of the challenge a pandemic would create. Telemedicine for Mental Health:  School leaders are looking to use technology tools ranging from text message-based counseling sessions to artificial intelligence that can help detect warning signs.  “What we saw before the pandemic was many, many schools were kind of hesitant to bring technology into their suite of the health services because of the unknowns around it,” said Laura Horne of Active Minds, which advocates for better mental health services for young people. “For better or for worse, the pandemic has kind of forced schools in a way to try those technology tools. When Can Schools Safely Reopen? The Answer Is Part Science, Part Guesswork:  Via FiveThirtyEight:  "In New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said schools could reopen if no more than 5 percent of local COVID-19 tests were coming back positive. But in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said schools couldn’t reopen unless the positivity rate was below 3 percent. In Arizona, it’s 7 percent;  in Minnesota, it’s 10 cases per 10,000 residents. And in Iowa, schools won’t be allowed to close for anything less than a 15 percent positivity rate." Thermal Scans:  NCS is working with schools to implement thermal imaging which allows 16 to 20 individuals to pass through at one time vs individual temperature checks.  This could help schools address a big bottleneck as they begin to reopen. Mask Simulator:  From IHME Higher Education Reopening Tracker:  Only tracks non-profit  4 yr degree institutions (1,400) but incredibly useful.  During These Times:  We all need a best friend. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/17

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COVID-19 Policy Update MONDAY 8/17 FEDERAL Phase 4:  Speaker Pelosi is bringing House members back in session this coming week to vote on a proposal to block the Trump Administration's plan for overhauling the Postal Service.  Post Service funding emerged as one of the flashpoints during Phase 4 negotiations due to the additional funding House Democrats wanted to provide and the increased demand expected due to mail in voting.   FDA:  Approved a saliva-based COVID-19 test. CDC:  New report on multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).  Nationwide, 570 children have been diagnosed with the disease. Ten of those children died and 364 were admitted to the ICU. STATE Alabama:  More than 30 of 138 school districts are up and running. About half a dozen opened remotely, and the others opened for in-person school. Some have finished a full week. Another 70 open this coming week, most offering in-person classes. Arizona:  J.O. Combs Unified School District had to cancel all classes, including online ones, due to a sick out. California:  Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Austin Beutner wrote their Reopening Schools Safely initiative, which involves UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins University, Microsoft, Anthem and HealthNet for an innovative COVID-19 testing and contact tracing program.  Georgia:  A 15-year-old Gwinnett County boy has died after contracting COVID-19. Massachusetts:   Your child’s a no-show at virtual school? You may get a call from the state’s foster care agency.  Michigan:  Helpful reopening tracker. New Jersey:  Teachers Union urges remote only opening. New York:   50 heads of teachers unions signed a letter demanding that schools be remote only.  Among their list of requirements is that "All building-wide HVAC systems must be upgraded to a minimum of MERV-13 filtration, and if existing systems cannot be upgraded, portable units with HEPA filtration must be available for all indoor spaces." Several NYC Council members want to delay in-person learning at NYC schools. North Carolina:   NCEdCloud, the portal for students and educators to access other online learning programs, crashed on the first day of school.  The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is canceling in-person classes and pivoting to online learning.  In the past week, the COVID-19 positivity rate among students rose to 13.6% of the 954 students tested, and five employees also tested positive. As of Monday morning, 177 students were in isolation and 349 were in quarantine. South Carolina:  Governor McMaster said that schools will have enough personal protective equipment to last through the pandemic. INTERNATIONAL Israel:  The Health Minister said, "If schools open, COVID-19 will crash the health system by December." UK:  The government has launched a campaign to persuade parents that it is safe to return to school.  Now we just need to get this boy his second biscuit. Reopening Schools Around The World: EdWeek article on lessons learned. Schools in Europe Reopen With Little Debate—but More Masks and Distancing:  Good overview of the opening throughout Europe. “School closures are only effective if we want to damage our children,” said Wieland Kiess, a professor of pediatrics at the Leipzig Research Center for Early Child Development in Germany. He coordinated a study that showed isolation at home is damaging the mental health of children, especially those from poorer families. The U.K.’s National Education Union, which represents 450,000 teachers, lecturers and support staff, initially resisted the partial reopening of schools in June but now says it supports a fuller reopening if strict hygiene and social-distancing standards are met. ECONOMIC RECOVERY Retail Spending:  Retail sales are considered a leading indicator for the overall economic health given that two-thirds of its activity from consumers.  Retail sales surpassed pre-pandemic levels in July, rising 1.2% from June.  The concern is that this spending was bolstered by the CARES Act funding through direct cash benefits and expanded UI.  Retail sales could fall given the loss of additional $600 per week.  An NBER paper makes this very case estimating that the loss of expanded UI will result in a 44% decline in local spending. Direct Cash Benefit:  NBER paper that found U.S. households only spent around 40% of their CARES Act direct cash benefit, but many low-income families spent all of their benefit. LEARNING PODS Mom Launched a YC-backed Company Is Now Pivoting To Pods: Elizabeth Adams was three months pregnant and had a 6-year-old daughter when she started making weekly trips from Washington, DC, to Silicon Valley to participate in Y Combinator and launch her startup Trustle team initially developed an app that allowed child care experts to connect over video calls with families who wanted support for everyday parenting challenges.  Now they're pivoting to offer affordable learning pods for students K-5, and they're reinvesting 80% of the profits into scholarships so low-income students can participate as well. Silicon Valley Is Jumping on the Microschool Bandwagon:  Good article on some of the tech companies that are supporting learning pods.  Durham Public Schools:   Will provide 'learning centers' for K-5 students who need supervision in remote learning. Pandemic Flight:  The superintendent of the school system released a letter discouraging families from "podding": FCCPS has seen a rise in families deciding to leave the system until we are either back in person or there is a vaccine to fight the virus. I respect each family's decision and also want to share some information and thinking. At our recent School Board meeting, I used the term “pandemic flight” in reference to families deciding to homeschool, pod and hire a face-to-face private instructor for homeschooled children, attend private schools, and/or look for other private solutions to make it all work. My family -- two full-time working parents and two school-aged children -- is facing many of the same challenges and empathize with the dilemmas you find yourself in. However, it is important that our community understands that these actions -- that is, disenrolling from FCCPS -- have consequences.   Surge in Demand for Tutors:  "They're not happy with the online the school systems are offering, so they want someone to come in and actually sit down and show their child how to do you know a math problem or write a paper or practice reading," said the owner of a TN-based tutoring company. Working Parents Are Hitting Their Coronavirus Breaking Point:  "Parents with school-age children are hiring sitters or paying for online classes they wouldn’t need if their children were in school. Some are lining up tutors or switching to private schools that plan to open for in-person learning. Parents with younger children are bracing for potentially higher charges at their day cares, which are straining to pay for protective gear and additional cleaning." RESOURCES Digitally Disconnected:  Long piece via the Washington Post.  Several highlights: In Mississippi and Arkansas, about 40 percent of students lacked high-speed Internet. “It’s going back to the old days where we blocked people from going to schools to be able to learn to read,” said Pedro Martinez, the superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District in Texas. More than half of families in Martinez’s district do not have high-speed Internet service at home. “It’s like us saying, ‘You can’t come into class. You can’t come to school.’ Equitable Remote Learning Building Blocks:  LearnLaunch has a web-based tool and offers workshops and coaching to help schools with their planning for equitable remote teaching and learning.   Parents Remote Little Live Interaction:  According to an EdChoice survey, the median time parents reported their children spending on coursework following the switch to virtual learning was 3.5 hours, with a surprising one out of five parents reporting no real-time interactions with a teacher following the switch.  This finding tracks with the Census Household Pulse survey data.   As Colleges Move Classes Online, Families Rebel Against the Cost:  "Incensed at paying face-to-face prices for education that is increasingly online, students and their parents are demanding tuition rebates, increased financial aid, reduced fees and leaves of absences to compensate for what they feel will be a diminished college experience." Football:  States wrestle with playing high school football amid COVID. Historic Laptop Shortage:  Due to increased demand and supply chain shortages.  More from Engadget.   Bridging Divide:  Has never been more important.  "Every dollar invested in broadband returns nearly four dollars to the economy, according to a Purdue University study." The Inadequacy of School Reopening Plans:  "This spring, 'remote instruction' was often a euphemism for 'no instruction.' For some children, it involved little more than intermittently watching a screen. Others didn’t even have a screen to watch; in Los Angeles alone, a quarter of a million households with school-age children lacked a computer with broadband." Mask Up:  One way to handle people not wearing masks....   Does this count as a STEM project? If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/14

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COVID-19 POLICY UPDATE FRIDAY 8/14 FEDERAL Phase 4:  The Senate formally adjourned on Thursday until early September and House members had already left DC.  Politico Playbook says "It seems exceedingly unlikely a deal will come together before Sept. 30 — if at all.”  Treasury Secretary Mnuchin had initiated a phone call with Speaker Pelosi and made clear that the White House is "not budging from their position concerning the size and scope of a legislative package." Fauci:  Offered his thoughts on schools reopening during a Facebook Live event with RI Gov. Raimondo:  "The best way for a state, city, or county that's red [above 10% test positivity rate] to get their children back to school is to do what's needed to become yellow, and do what's needed to become green.  If you are a red state and you want to get your schools open, you can ask yourself the question -- you have a choice. You can either close the bars or close the schools.  If you want to have people congregating in bars, it's likely you're going to stay red. If you do something about that, it's very likely you'll transition to yellow or green." CDC:  Updated their guidance to say that people who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to quarantine or get tested again for up to 3 months as long as they do not develop symptoms again.  In other words, they have immunity for 3 months. CDC Director Redfield on school openings: "We're going to need to do it safely. We're going to need to do it sensibly. And we're going to have to do it based on the unique circumstances, the kinetics of the epidemic and in the areas that the schools are beginning to try to wrestle with this reopening." According to a new CDC study, 25% of individuals ages 18-24 have seriously considered suicide in the 30 days STATE Arizona: According to the Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children, the state went from having 171,000 slots for child care to just 76,000.  The State is providing $47 million to help keep centers open. Demand for Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) has tripled. The Prenda model has rapidly taken rural and remote Arizona by storm. As of June 6 they hit 1,000 students enrolled, 2,000 by July 24, and 3,000 by August 10. The state released a new comprehensive health dashboard to inform reopening. New York:   Mayor De Blasio pledges to have a nurse in every school. The Imagination Station in Lancaster has six child care sites that have been open during the entire pandemic and haven't had a single COVID-19 case. North Dakota:  How the state bridged the digital divide.  South Carolina:  Launched a new SEL website that provides resources for teachers, students, and parents including lessons.   Texas:   Houston ISD spends $32 million on tech to prepare for the new school year. Texas 2036 has a great COVID-19 dashboard for the state. Virgina:  Governor Northam is launching a pediatric coronavirus study to examine the number of children with COVID-19 antibodies. INTERNATIONAL Africa:  The pandemic appears to have spared Africa so far. Scientists are struggling to explain why Canada:  Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce said they will invest $500 million to achieve physical distancing in classrooms. The government will also spend $50 million to update school ventilation systems, and another $18 million to hire principals and support staff to administer online learning.  Ontario’s four major teachers’ unions released a letter alleging the province’s back-to-school plan violates its own occupational health and safety legislation. ECONOMIC RECOVERY Two Americas:  The recession is largely over for the upper class but the working class remains in deep pain.  Some economists have started to call this a “K-shaped” recovery because of the diverging prospects for the rich and poor, and they say policy failures in Washington are exacerbating the problems. Upper Class:   Stocks are near record highs Home values at all-time highs Jobs are back Workers can work from home - or anywhere Working Class: Employment is still 20% below pre-pandemic levels for workers earning under $14 an hour, and 16% down for those making $14 to $20 an hour.  $600 expanded UI has expired Cannot work from home.   LEARNING PODS COVID Parents Seek Education Alternatives:  WFF's Bruno Manno:  "Some are newer innovations like micro-schools and family PODS. Others are familiar—homeschooling, charter schools, and private schools—with new twists. The creativity and entrepreneurship involved is characteristically American and impressive, even if driven by urgency and exasperation." PandemicPods.org:  New website launched by Michael Stanton (partner at Learn Capital and investor in Coursera, Outschool, Photomath, MakeSchool, Minerva, Clever, and NearPod).  They're working to better match families.  Partners include CoLearn, Braid, Swing Education, Altitude Learning, Wonder School, and Guidepost Montessori. Families Priced Out of ‘Learning Pods’ Seek Alternatives:  Via NYT: "They have created rifts among friends, sparked accusations of “opportunity hoarding” by affluent whites, and compelled some parents to ponder whether and how to include lower-income children in their pods. Give Learning Pads a Chance:  Don’t limit the micro-school option to families who can afford it. Denver School Board: Letter sent to parents regarding learning pods:   "We are deeply concerned about the pods’ long-term negative implications for public education and social justice" "Consider the equity implications of creating or joining pandemic pods or micro-schools. If you choose to participate in a pod, please do not hire DPS teachers, paraprofessionals or special service providers for assistance in teaching and learning. This puts educators in uncomfortable positions, jeopardizes their employment, creates undue liability and pulls them away from students that need them most." "Reject the notion of school vouchers and stipends that further siphon funds from public education." Fairfax County:  Letter to parents on learning pods:  "While FCPS doesn’t and can’t control these private tutoring groups, we do have concerns that they may widen the gap in educational access and equity for all students. Many parents cannot afford private instruction. Many working families can’t provide transportation to and from a tutoring pod, even if they could afford to pay for the service." RESOURCES Vaccine Tracker:  Via NYT.  The Washington Post also has an updated tracker. AAP Report on Children:  Children represented 8.8% of all COVID-19 cases. Stanford School of Medicine:  Researchers suggest schools should and can reopen safely if they follow the AAP recommendations.  They offer additional operational guidance. Maximizing Student Engagement & Learning: A Guide to High School Planning During COVID-19 from Springpoint. Revisiting Blended Learning Principles:  From the Christensen Institute. Voices, Tools, and Resources for Equity in Education:  Compilation of resources from NGLC. State Child Care Efforts:  CAP report summarizing recent state policy action to address child care.  "I Started Khan Academy. We Can Still Avoid an Education Catastrophe":  Sal Khan:  "To ensure that kids keep progressing on both the academic and social-emotional fronts, it’s critical that educators provide live teacher-led video conference sessions. These need to optimize both academic coverage and social interaction. A baseline would be two or three 30-to-45 minute sessions in each of the core academic subjects each week." Hamilton:   EduHam Online is an online resource that allows students to explore the world of HAMILTON and America’s Founding Era—ultimately creating and performing their own narrative in the form of a song, rap, spoken word, or scene.  Resources include: Interviews with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ron Chernow, and original cast members like Daveed Diggs and Phillipa Soo A wide selection of primary sources centered on a diverse group of 45 people, 14 events, and 24 key documents from the era Video clips from HAMILTON performed by the cast Community Transmission and School Reopening:  The NYT created an interactive visualization and searchable database based on the Harvard Global Health Institute framework which uses community transmission as triggers for the various kind of models schools can operate under.     You Made It To The Weekend:  Boom goes the dynamite. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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August 13

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THURSDAY 8/13 FEDERAL Phase 4:   No progress appears to have been made during the first half of the week.  Republicans maintain that Democratic demands are too expensive, and Democrats argue that a package less than $2 trillion will not pass the House. Schumer and Pelosi have called on Republican negotiators to return to the negotiating table and “meet them halfway,” but Mnuchin said that the Democrats’ ask of $1 trillion for state and local aid—the top priority for Democrats but viewed by Republicans as a bailout for states that over many years have not seriously tackled their budget problems—is “absurd.”  We still do not expect negotiations to pick up until after the conventions.   Our partners at PennHill received confirmation from Pelosi/Schumer staff that they asked the White House to structure funds to close the homework gap through the approach laid out in the HEROES Act - meaning that it would be a new emergency fund run through the E-rate program. Apparently, the White House didn’t object to the idea - which is similar to what our own conversations have suggested.   White House:  Additional documents from yesterday's event Remarks by President Trump  Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Safe Reopening of America’s Schools Remarks by President Trump at Kids First: Getting America’s Children Safely Back to School President announces 125 million masks being sent to schools. White House Fact Sheet CDC: Director Redfield said tonight, "For your country right now and for the war that we’re in against Covid, I’m asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands and be smart about crowds.”  Without following the recommendations, this could be "the worst fall, from a public health perspective, we've ever had. Biden:  Called on Governors to issue a national mask mandate, citing health experts’ predictions that it could save 40,000 lives from coronavirus over the next three months. Senator Harris:  "Mothers and fathers are confused and uncertain and angry about childcare and the safety of their kids at school. Whether they will be in danger if they go, or fall behind if they don't." STATE Colorado:  The state released new resources for families: A home checklist for parents and school staff. A screening tool to determine who needs to be sent home from school if they get sick. A tool to determine how long a person needs to stay home after staying or going home sick. A tool to determine if classmates or cohort members or close contacts of a sick person need to stay home. DOD:  The Defense Department will offer in-person instruction at half of its U.S.-based schools and all of its schools in Europe New Jersey:  NJEA president: "No rational analysis ... leads to the conclusion that we can safely reopen for in-person instruction in less than a month" New York: The NYC Council of School Supervisors said teachers and other school staff don’t have enough time to prepare for the return of o public school classrooms. Thoughtful reopening plan from the Dwight School including how they are addressing schedules, remote learning, bathroom modifications, HVAC upgrades, and what steps the school will follow if a student/teacher tests positive.   Ohio:  How a community college opened three months ago and has had zero cases. INTERNATIONAL Canada:   The Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home said its membership has jumped 20% in the last two weeks. ECONOMIC RECOVERY UI Claims:  First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell below 1 million for the first time since March 21.   WEF:  How can companies offer effective reskilling for employees?  A paper from the World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group found that the cost of reskilling is approximately $24,800 per person.   Essential Workers:   Grocery workers say morale is at an all-time low.  “Some customers were appreciative in the beginning but now they’re just rude." LEARNING PODS Pod Schools:  A Rhode Island group has amassed more than 1,100 members since July 19, describing itself as “a place where parents and teachers interested in forming learning pods can ask questions and connect with one another.” Alaska:  Katelynn Petersen owns and operates Problem Solved Tutoring in Anchorage, and she has had many parents reaching out for help. “People are reaching out to their network, people in the neighborhood,” she said. “ Facebook is a good resource for that. And the neighborhood apps are another good resource for just reaching out to see if people are available to teach these new things.” DC Moms Launch New Business:   Molly Nizhnikov and Rachel Lubin opened The Lane Social Club in February and have since partnered with Flex Academies.  “We’re going to restaurants, hotels, anybody that has space that we can set up safely for kids to be to make it available for the parents – that’s where we will be" said Rhondalyne Reed, Director of Operations at Flex Academies. Kinder Care:  The nation's largest largest private childcare provider announced the following changes:   Champions programs partner with elementary schools to create solutions that meet their unique needs, whether it’s traditional before- and after-school programs, part-time or full-day programming.  KinderCare Learning Centers and KinderCare Education at Work centers now support K-6 learning. Trained teachers support students as they learn online or outside of their regular classroom through their school curriculum and offer project-based activities for children to do outside of their virtual classroom in subjects such as STEM, art, physical activity, and more KinderCare Education and the Bay Club Company recently announced a partnership to create a first-of-its-kind distance learning program for school-age children on the West Coast. The new program will have dedicated learning pods grouped by age. Teachers will lead students through online learning programs, while Bay Club instructors will lead a wide variety of active lifestyle programming. RESOURCES Day in the Life Of Simulation Toolkit:   McKinsey has created a “Day in the life of” toolkit to support districts in running their own ‘day in the life of’ simulations. The work is part of a partnership with CCSSO and Chiefs for Change. The toolkit is a simulation exercise grounded in the typical ‘day in the life of’ for key stakeholders in the K-12 ecosystem (e.g., students, teachers, parents, staff).  Incredibly helpful.   A Generation Left Behind:  A must read LA Times piece on the students being left behind.  Some excerpts: A Los Angeles Times survey of 45 Southern California school districts found profound differences in distance learning among children attending school districts in high-poverty communities, like Maria’s in Coachella Valley, and those in more affluent ones, like Cooper’s in Las Virgenes, which serves Calabasas and nearby areas. Maria is a student in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, where 90% of the children are from low-income families. She didn’t have a computer, so she and her mother tried using a cellphone to access her online class, but the connection kept dropping, and they gave up after a week. She did worksheets until June, when she at last received a computer, but struggled to understand the work. Now, as school starts again online, she has told her mother she’s frustrated and worried. “She says she feels like she’s going to stay behind,” said her mother, Felicia Gonzalez, who has been battling COVID-19. Before the shutdown, he earned As, Bs and Cs. But with schools closed, Andrew said he was struggling to feel motivated and understand his work. His mother, a single parent and healthcare worker who has cared for coronavirus patients, was working double shifts, keeping her away from home and close supervision of Andrew’s studies. For more than a month, Andrew accessed classes on his cellphone, but was too depressed and unmotivated to do so often. By the end of April, he said, he had probably turned in one complete assignment. School Reopening Thresholds Vary Widely Across the Country:  Should schools reopen when community positivity rates are at 5%?  3%?  US News and World Report article covering the wide ranges used by schools.  I still remain a fan of the Harvard Global Health Institute's framework.  AI for Weavers:  Sociable weavers work together to construct large nests in southern Africa, often in acacia trees. The nests can weigh as much as 1 ton and house up to 200 birds in individual chambers.  Researchers are using AI to identify the birds. Has nothing to do with education or COVID, I just thought it was interesting.  Resources to Support the Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials:  Via EdReports. How Trump’s Push to Reopen Schools Backfired: NYT article. The Reaction: Of these players - who have been in a bubble since the season started - is priceless. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/13

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THURSDAY 8/13 FEDERAL Phase 4:   No progress appears to have been made during the first half of the week.  Republicans maintain that Democratic demands are too expensive, and Democrats argue that a package less than $2 trillion will not pass the House. Schumer and Pelosi have called on Republican negotiators to return to the negotiating table and “meet them halfway,” but Mnuchin said that the Democrats’ ask of $1 trillion for state and local aid—the top priority for Democrats but viewed by Republicans as a bailout for states that over many years have not seriously tackled their budget problems—is “absurd.”  We still do not expect negotiations to pick up until after the conventions.   Our partners at PennHill received confirmation from Pelosi/Schumer staff that they asked the White House to structure funds to close the homework gap through the approach laid out in the HEROES Act - meaning that it would be a new emergency fund run through the E-rate program. Apparently, the White House didn’t object to the idea - which is similar to what our own conversations have suggested.   White House:  Additional documents from yesterday's event Remarks by President Trump  Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Safe Reopening of America’s Schools Remarks by President Trump at Kids First: Getting America’s Children Safely Back to School President announces 125 million masks being sent to schools. White House Fact Sheet CDC: Director Redfield said tonight, "For your country right now and for the war that we’re in against Covid, I’m asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands and be smart about crowds.”  Without following the recommendations, this could be "the worst fall, from a public health perspective, we've ever had. Biden:  Called on Governors to issue a national mask mandate, citing health experts’ predictions that it could save 40,000 lives from coronavirus over the next three months. Senator Harris:  "Mothers and fathers are confused and uncertain and angry about childcare and the safety of their kids at school. Whether they will be in danger if they go, or fall behind if they don't." STATE Colorado:  The state released new resources for families: A home checklist for parents and school staff. A screening tool to determine who needs to be sent home from school if they get sick. A tool to determine how long a person needs to stay home after staying or going home sick. A tool to determine if classmates or cohort members or close contacts of a sick person need to stay home. DOD:  The Defense Department will offer in-person instruction at half of its U.S.-based schools and all of its schools in Europe New Jersey:  NJEA president: "No rational analysis ... leads to the conclusion that we can safely reopen for in-person instruction in less than a month" New York: The NYC Council of School Supervisors said teachers and other school staff don’t have enough time to prepare for the return of o public school classrooms. Thoughtful reopening plan from the Dwight School including how they are addressing schedules, remote learning, bathroom modifications, HVAC upgrades, and what steps the school will follow if a student/teacher tests positive.   Ohio:  How a community college opened three months ago and has had zero cases. INTERNATIONAL Canada:   The Manitoba Association for Schooling at Home said its membership has jumped 20% in the last two weeks. ECONOMIC RECOVERY UI Claims:  First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell below 1 million for the first time since March 21.   WEF:  How can companies offer effective reskilling for employees?  A paper from the World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group found that the cost of reskilling is approximately $24,800 per person.   Essential Workers:   Grocery workers say morale is at an all-time low.  “Some customers were appreciative in the beginning but now they’re just rude." LEARNING PODS Pod Schools:  A Rhode Island group has amassed more than 1,100 members since July 19, describing itself as “a place where parents and teachers interested in forming learning pods can ask questions and connect with one another.” Alaska:  Katelynn Petersen owns and operates Problem Solved Tutoring in Anchorage, and she has had many parents reaching out for help. “People are reaching out to their network, people in the neighborhood,” she said. “ Facebook is a good resource for that. And the neighborhood apps are another good resource for just reaching out to see if people are available to teach these new things.” DC Moms Launch New Business:   Molly Nizhnikov and Rachel Lubin opened The Lane Social Club in February and have since partnered with Flex Academies.  “We’re going to restaurants, hotels, anybody that has space that we can set up safely for kids to be to make it available for the parents – that’s where we will be" said Rhondalyne Reed, Director of Operations at Flex Academies. Kinder Care:  The nation's largest largest private childcare provider announced the following changes:   Champions programs partner with elementary schools to create solutions that meet their unique needs, whether it’s traditional before- and after-school programs, part-time or full-day programming.  KinderCare Learning Centers and KinderCare Education at Work centers now support K-6 learning. Trained teachers support students as they learn online or outside of their regular classroom through their school curriculum and offer project-based activities for children to do outside of their virtual classroom in subjects such as STEM, art, physical activity, and more KinderCare Education and the Bay Club Company recently announced a partnership to create a first-of-its-kind distance learning program for school-age children on the West Coast. The new program will have dedicated learning pods grouped by age. Teachers will lead students through online learning programs, while Bay Club instructors will lead a wide variety of active lifestyle programming. RESOURCES Day in the Life Of Simulation Toolkit:   McKinsey has created a “Day in the life of” toolkit to support districts in running their own ‘day in the life of’ simulations. The work is part of a partnership with CCSSO and Chiefs for Change. The toolkit is a simulation exercise grounded in the typical ‘day in the life of’ for key stakeholders in the K-12 ecosystem (e.g., students, teachers, parents, staff).  Incredibly helpful.   A Generation Left Behind:  A must read LA Times piece on the students being left behind.  Some excerpts: A Los Angeles Times survey of 45 Southern California school districts found profound differences in distance learning among children attending school districts in high-poverty communities, like Maria’s in Coachella Valley, and those in more affluent ones, like Cooper’s in Las Virgenes, which serves Calabasas and nearby areas. Maria is a student in the Coachella Valley Unified School District, where 90% of the children are from low-income families. She didn’t have a computer, so she and her mother tried using a cellphone to access her online class, but the connection kept dropping, and they gave up after a week. She did worksheets until June, when she at last received a computer, but struggled to understand the work. Now, as school starts again online, she has told her mother she’s frustrated and worried. “She says she feels like she’s going to stay behind,” said her mother, Felicia Gonzalez, who has been battling COVID-19. Before the shutdown, he earned As, Bs and Cs. But with schools closed, Andrew said he was struggling to feel motivated and understand his work. His mother, a single parent and healthcare worker who has cared for coronavirus patients, was working double shifts, keeping her away from home and close supervision of Andrew’s studies. For more than a month, Andrew accessed classes on his cellphone, but was too depressed and unmotivated to do so often. By the end of April, he said, he had probably turned in one complete assignment. School Reopening Thresholds Vary Widely Across the Country:  Should schools reopen when community positivity rates are at 5%?  3%?  US News and World Report article covering the wide ranges used by schools.  I still remain a fan of the Harvard Global Health Institute's framework.  AI for Weavers:  Sociable weavers work together to construct large nests in southern Africa, often in acacia trees. The nests can weigh as much as 1 ton and house up to 200 birds in individual chambers.  Researchers are using AI to identify the birds. Has nothing to do with education or COVID, I just thought it was interesting.  Resources to Support the Use of High-Quality Instructional Materials:  Via EdReports. How Trump’s Push to Reopen Schools Backfired: NYT article. The Reaction: Of these players - who have been in a bubble since the season started - is priceless. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/12

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WEDNESDAY 8/12 FEDERAL White House:  The administration held a Kids First: Getting America’s Children Safely Back to School event today with the President, Vice President, Secretary DeVos along with some parents and education leaders.  The President reiterated his belief that schools should be opened and that funding should be tied to their reopening.  The White House released additional guidance/recommendations with the event. STATE Florida:  Miami-Dade County public schools released an updated reopening plan and website.  The first day of school is August 31 with an orientation period between August 24-28 to allow parents, students and teachers to familiarize themselves with the online learning portal, My School Online.  On September 30, the district will reevaluate if they can open schools.  Their criteria is a community positivity rate of 10% with a trend toward 5% oer a 14 day period.  Every bus will have a hand sanitizer station that students must use before boarding.   Massachusetts:  Governor Baker unveiled a new color code for measuring community spread. The Department of Education also released updated guidance as to the type of school model each risk category allows.  New Jersey:   Princeton reversed its plan to bring some of its students back on campus. The state's largest teachers union and groups representing school administrators called for Gov. Murphy to require all public schools to offer only remote classes for the fall. North Carolina:  Thoughtful reopening plan from Guilford County Schools that includes dedicated time to pre recorded video lectures from some of their best teachers, diagnostic learning assessments, SEL supports, purchased devices for their students, and have a number of parent guides including this "day in the life" of a remote learner.  Ohio:  How districts are planning to reopen: 325 districts representing about 38% of students are holding classes in-person 55 districts representing 25.6% of students are holding classes online. 154 districts representing 24.5% of students are using a hybrid model. 78 districts haven't submitted a plan or decided yet. INTERNATIONAL Germany:  Schools have reopened and masks have been a challenge. UK:  England is set to begin piloting the Google / Apple contact tracing app. ECONOMIC RECOVERY Addressing the Unemployed:  The Markle Foundation announced the Rework America Alliance to move millions of unemployed and low wage workers into good jobs, regardless of formal education, by accelerating the development of a more effective system of worker training aligned to jobs that employers will need to fill.  Partners include Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the African American Mayor's Association, National Urban League, NAACP and UnidosUS, Google, IBM, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Workday, and Arizona State University. Small Business Loans:  Howard Schultz led a joint letter of more than 100 current and former corporate and trade group executives urged Congress this morning to create a more robust loan program to support small businesses.  The proposal calls for federally guaranteed loans to last into 2021, flexibility in how that money is used, partial loan forgiveness for the hardest-hit companies, and targeting the funds to the businesses most in need, particularly those run by people of color. The proposal is similar to the RESTART Act, which was introduced by Senators Bennet and Young back in May. LEARNING PODS A Safe Haven:  The Boys & Girls Clubs and Cleveland Clergy Coalition are working closely with the Cleveland school district to reach families that might need help the most.  They estimate they will be able to serve 700 students at their standalone centers. Denver:  Black leaders are setting up spaces to keep kids safe and learning as school begins online. Pods For All? Some districts and nonprofits are reimagining the remote learning trend.  "We’re not interested in criticizing people who do that. You’re going to take care of your child and do what it takes — rich, poor, whatever,” Evangelista said. “We can spread ideas, and we can be coordinators, and share information, and tap into the power of our families. Our families are just as equipped and just as savvy and can be — and have been — incredible partners in remote learning.” RESOURCES School Reopenings Bring Wave of COVID-19 Student-Data-Privacy Concerns:  Article from EdWeek. Lifting Kids Out of The Pandemic Slide:  Article from the Hechinger Report on tutoring.  Couple of highlights: Experts say making tutors available to more kids — especially those least able to afford to hire one themselves — could be vital to combating learning losses that resulted when the coronavirus forced schools to shut down and transition to online-only instruction. The tutoring doesn’t need to be airtight for it to pay dividends, experts say; it doesn’t need a perfect structure, a particular pedagogical approach, or even a certified teacher. “The need for this outweighs having something perfect that is rolled out … months from now.” said Jayme Simmons, the executive director of the Bill & Crissy Haslam Foundation. The United Kingdom announced a national $440 million tutoring program to help provide “catch-up support” for public school students The Black-White Wealth Gap Will Widen Educational Disparities:  Via CAP, "the flipside of under resourced schools is that parents will have to provide more of the resources themselves as schools transition to remote learning." POLITICO/Morning Consult Poll:  In the survey of nearly 2,000 registered voters, 59% said they oppose fully reopening K-12 schools for the beginning of the academic year.  Toplines.  Crosstabs. World Mask Week: The Pandemic Action Network has been promoting face coverings (via the Masking for A Friend campaign).  They've launched a social media campaign for #WorldMaskWeek from August 7-14. Partner toolkit and Graphic assets. Data and the Recovery:  New reports from DQC: Supporting Students While Learning at Home: Individual Student Data and the COVID-19 Crisis Maintaining Trust as Data Use Changes: Student Data Privacy and the COVID-19 Crisis Promoting Transparency and Maintaining Public Trust: Report Cards and the COVID-19 Crisis Using Data to Understand What Works: Research and the COVID-19 Crisis Half of Students Starting Online:  A Burbio study suggests 52% of students will start school online, while 44% will attend some form of in-person learning in the fall, and 4% of school districts remain undecided as of Aug. 11. The Burbio looked at more than 80,000 K-12 school calendars across 12,000 school districts, actively monitored more than 35,000 schools, and reviewed district plans every 72 hours to account for changes.  OpEds: Kids Aren’t Big Covid-19 Spreaders. Really, Dr. Naomi Bardach Why children suffer more violence amid COVID-19, Angelina Jolie Closed Schools Are a National Emergency, Michael Strain Why I am not sending my kids back to school, Dr. Sanjay Gupta We Can Reopen Our Schools Safely, Alyssa Farah (White House Communications Director) I Can Feel It:  Coming in the Air Tonight.  Two twins hearing the song for the first time.   If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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8/11

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TUESDAY 8/11 FEDERAL Phase 4:   Negotiations are unlikely to resume until after next week's Democratic National Convention.   Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck provided a summary of each Executive Order, an impact analysis, and list of unanswered questions. NGA issued a statement expressing concern over the complexity of the unemployment insurance EO and urged Congress to pass a legislative solution. "We are concerned about the significant administrative burdens and costs this latest action would place on the states."  Other Governors have declared it unworkable.  Mississippi Governor Reeves said the EO proposal would cost Mississippi about $21 million to $23 million a week, roughly doubling what it is paying in state unemployment insurance benefits currently.  Governor Newsom said it would cost California $700 million per week. STATE Alabama:  The state's third largest school district, Baldwin County, will reopen tomorrow but many families are opting for the online option. So far, their virtual school registration is up to 7,000 (20% of all students) – a 1,920% increase in less than a year. Arkansas: The Arkansa Education Association is calling for schools to open remote only.   California:  San Mateo County health officer Scott Morrow said all kids are much safer in schools and they need to be back as soon as possible.  "I actually really believe kids should be back in school.  There's lots of things that have been put into place to makes schools as safe a place as possible, probably more safe than if they're not in school." Connecticut:  A group of students from Beverly are protesting their school not reopening. Georgia:   In the six days that Cherokee County schools have been in session, more than 826 students have had to quarantine due to possible exposure to COVID-19, along with 42 teachers.  The district opened without a mask mandate for students; staff must wear masks. 25% of the 42,000 students opted for online learning.   22 of 66 faculty at DeKalb County School District tested positive.   Indiana:  Interesting NPR article on the challenges of contact tracing with schools/students. Kentucky:  The Governor said schools should wait to start in-person classes until Sept. 28. New York:  107 school districts failed to submit reopening plans. 25% of NYC public school students sign up for remote-only learning this fall Texas:  Must read WSJ  article showing the challenges Dallas school district superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa has experienced with planning for their reopening, including backlash from the teachers union.  Wisconsin:  The Wisconsin Education Association Council Region 7 (for southeast Wisconsin) released grades on the safety of each school district: B:  Racine, Milwaukee, South Milwaukee, West Allis - West Milwaukee C:  Kenosha, St. Francis F: Cudahy, Franklin, Greendale, Kettle Moraine, Oak Creek - Franklin, West Bend LEARNING PODS A New Kind of Matchmaker:  Full-time working mom Amy Fitzgibbons started Cincinnati Teaching Collaborative that helps match college students, teachers, and interventional specialists with parents.  Prices range from $30-$60 an hour depending on the experience of the educator. Cost of Tutors:  What 10 families are paying: Two families in Texas: $600 a week for 15 hours tutoring Four families in Massachusetts: $600 a week for three days Four families in Baltimore: $700 a week for 20 hours across four days Four families in Brooklyn: $1,200 a week for five days Three families in Oregon, $600 a week for 15 hours Three families in Connecticut, $900 a week for four days a week Two families in California, $700 a week for 12 hours Making Pods More Inclusive:  The push for pods is being fueled largely by anxiety rather than ideology. Parents who never would have looked twice at homeschooling are turning to pods out of exhaustion from the five-month COVID regimen of juggling work and at-home care. North Carolina:  A group of banks are opening their space to learning pods.  “I thought, well this would be a great use of our space, allow these children to come in here, use our WiFi, use our facility,” Aquesta Bank VP Laura Engel said.  The bank has teamed up with the Make an Impact Foundation to coordinate volunteers and manage donations, so the kids can also receive snacks and lunch and have support while remote learning.   RESOURCES Protecting Student Privacy:  CDT released several guides for schools to help strengthen privacy protections:   Protecting Student Privacy in the Race to Close the Homework Gap A Security Checklist for School-Provided Technology For Remote Learning, Privacy Challenges Go Beyond Zoombombing COVID-19 and Student Privacy Training: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility Free training here. Opportunity and Counseling Corps:  Proposal from the Center for American Progress: Hire thousands of recent high school graduates, college graduates, and other community members to support students and educators as they serve in high-poverty schools. Opportunity Corps members could also serve as resident teachers, mentors, classroom aides, or apprentices in order to provide technical support to families needing assistance with remote learning technologies; or they could learn trades to maintain school facilities. Opportunity Corps members could be hired through the expansion of existing national service programs, such as AmeriCorps, and other nonprofit partners; or they could be hired directly by school systems. Designing Reopening Plans:  5 lessons NSVF and Bellwether Education Partners learned while helping two school districts with their plans.   Curbside Larry:  What's it going to take to put you into a biography or science fiction today? If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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MONDAY. 8/10 FEDERAL Phase 4:  On Saturday, President Trump signed four Executive Orders (EOs): Payroll Tax Deferral: Calls on the Secretary of Treasury to defer the withholding, deposit, and payment of payroll taxes for Sept. 1, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2020.   The EO does not specify when deferred payroll taxes must be paid. A payroll tax holiday has been a priority for the Administration but has failed to gain any traction among both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, nor the business community.  Expanded Unemployment Benefits: Will extend the expanded payments that expired on July 31. The EO would reduce the benefit from $600 to $400 ($300 from the federal government and $100 from states).  The funding would come out of the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) and the Department of Homeland Security's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), Rent Assistance: The EO does not extend the moratorium on evictions - it just instructs several federal agencies to look for ways to help renters facing evictions. Deferral of Student Debt Payments:  The EO pauses monthly payments and interest for student loan borrowers until Dec. 31, 2020.  There are a number of complexities with these EOs.  Most legal experts agree that the president can waive penalties for late federal student-loan payments. However, he cannot freeze evictions nationwide, which the EO seems to concede since it encourages agencies to identify ways of providing renter assistance rather than extend the CARES Act eviction moratorium.  The other two are more complicated. The Administration seems to be creating a new UI program out of FEMA funding which would take months to implement and also tap into a funding source used as part of relief efforts during hurricane season. And it seems like a non-starter for states whose budgets are already depleted to be able to find the 25% of matching funds.  The payroll tax holiday is a temporary freeze - meaning it's not forgiven just deferred.  And the legal authority for this action is questionable, including its constitutionality.    Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said all four of the EOs were vetted by the Office of Legal Counsel (an influential office within DOJ that issues opinions on complex legal matters including constitutional questions), but those opinions were not released with the EOs.  We're likely to see several of these challenges in court.  And it's not likely that this changes the dynamics with the legislative negotiations around a Phase 4 package.     STATE NGA Executive Leadership: Governor Cuomo will be chair this coming year with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson as vice chair.  The other seven members of the executive committee are: Governor Kay Ivey of Alabama, Governor Jared Polis of Colorado, Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico Governor Gary Herbert of Utah. Connecticut:  Gov. Lamont is vowing to avoid a “lost year” for students and said he believes schools must try to reopen later this month for in-person learning. Indiana:  The IndyStar is tracking cases of COVID-19 in schools around the state and publishing it on their website as a searchable database. Kentucky:  The Kentucky Education Agency called on schools to start remotely until positivity rates are below 4% (for reference, a standard that is stricter than what is recommended by the WHO and CDC). West Virginia: The Governor launched a new map of more than 1,000 free public hotspots available through public schools, higher education institutions, libraries and state parks. INTERNATIONAL Germany:  An oped from a German mother on their reopening experience. Israel:  To shrink classes, Israel needs to hire 15,000 teachers. Scotland:  Schools reopen tomorrow. UK:   Boris Johnson said it is a "moral duty” to get all children back in class and that he would force pubs, restaurants and shops to close ahead of schools in the event of an outbreak. The teachers union issued a list 200 safety demands and insisted classes be held 'one week on, one week off' COVID Prevalence When Schools Reopened:  Some schools can likely safely reopen, researchers say, but the new findings suggest the facilities should proceed carefully. ECONOMIC RECOVERY Millennials Slammed by Second Financial Crisis Fall Even Further Behind:  WSJ article on the economic shocks Millenials have had to endure.  Millennials on average missed out on more than $25,000 in pay, or 13% of their total earnings, during the decade that ended in 2017 as a result of the rising unemployment rate that started in 2007, according to an analysis published last year by Census Bureau economist Kevin Rinz. Rent Crisis:  An estimated 27% of adults missed their rent or mortgage payment for July.   31% of Black renters said that they were unable to pay last month’s rent, versus 28% of Latino renters and 14% of white renters.  37% say they have little confidence they'll be able to pay rent in August.   LEARNING PODS Costs of Podding:  Great CNBC piece exploring the costs of pods, including cost sharing among families and different types of instruction/supports.  Outschool is also starting a foundation to provide assistance to low-income families.   Shadow Schools:  A roller rink. The YMCA. Houses of worship. All are creating makeshift classrooms.  San Francisco is launching “learning hubs” staffed by city and nonprofit employees that can serve up to 6,000 elementary school-age children at locations within walking distance from their homes. Orlando:  The city of Orlando is launching learning pods at six neighborhood centers. North Carolina Pods:  Article on the use of pods in NC including the Wake County school system who is partnering with several community groups to offer socially distanced learning centers where working parents can drop their children at during the day. Colorado School Supporting Pods:  Adams 12 wants to add a twist to the learning pod idea by having the district support them at no cost to families. The district will have these students meet in school buildings, five-days-a-week. A teacher will still lead instruction, but a district employee like a school school bus driver or cafeteria worker will serve as a Learning Pod Leader to help the kids directly. RESOURCES 97,000 Children Tested Positive: In the last two weeks of July, according to a report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. Studying Mask Efficacy:  New study measuring the efficacy of different kinds of masks. Most masks were proven to be highly effective, but bandanas and neck fleeces/gaiters proved to be barely limit transmission. Khan Academy:  Is seeing 2–3x traffic, 5–10x student/teacher registration, 20x parent registration.  In an interview with Google.org, Sal Khan says, “COVID-19 feels like a ctrl+alt+delete on society, it’s moving us towards collective action." Students Launch a New Platform:  Inspired by COVID-19 restrictions, two 15-year-olds in Singapore created a free online learning platform for kids. Incoming College Freshmen:   40% of incoming freshmen at four-year colleges are likely not to attend. 20% of Harvard's first year class has deferred.  Planes May Not Be Superspreaders:  New MIT research suggesting you have a 1/4300 chance of getting COVID-19 on a 2-hour flight that is full.  The odds of getting the virus are about half that, 1/7700, if airlines leave the middle seat empty.  Safe and Healthy School Drop-off and Entry Routines:  7 steps Underdogs:  An adopted boy helps older dogs find their adoption. If you know somebody who would appreciate these updates, feel free to forward this message.  If you'd like to receive the daily COVID-19 Policy Update, please subscribe here. Share Tweet Forward @John_Bailey VestigoPartners.com LinkedIn Mailing Address 4615 Lambert Pl, Alexandria, VA 22311

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